When The Wind Blows
by zestychicken2
Summary: She was so scared and that made me wonder... what did she go through? When lost and confused with amnesia, Kimiko ends up in Brazil. She meets a boy named Raimundo, but when he helps her find her way, they find the temple made a huge mistake... RaixKim
1. Prologue: Lost

**When The Wind Blows**

**The fact that she was scared and confused made me wonder... What did she go through? Lost and confused with amnesia, with the acception of some occational flashes, Kimiko uses the Golden Tiger Claws to go to Brazil. Where she meets a boy named Raimundo. When he helps her find her way, he'll realize the temple made a mistake.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Xiaolin Showdown, only this plot, and an OC... But, I wished I owned something...**

**Prologue: Lost**

The girl shivered and stood up wearily. "Where am I?" She whispered, her voice lonely and blank. She looked down at her own hands, extremely red from how cold it was. "Who am I?" She asked, and looked up. Not knowing what was going on really scared her... As she looked around all she saw was extremely green grass, mountains, and trees.

No one was around. "Hello?" She called out, her voice no stronger than before. Taking a step forward, she wobbled a bit, and stopped. It was going to be a long time before she saw someone... She could tell. Some sort of instinct was nagging at her, but she couldn't place it. This is what bothered her the most.

"Please..." This time, her voice was like a whisper. Looking at the green grass below her, she found her shoes lathered in mud. Her white tights were no longer white, and her red robes were tattered and torn. "What happened?" Still her voice was a whisper. None of her questions were being answered, but when she fell to her knees her hand grazed something sharp.

Prying her weak hand off the ground, she saw blood trickling down her palm. She rubbed it off on the grass and moved to the golden object. She picked it up, and studied it carefully.

??

_She crossed her arms and tapped her foot, only the brunette smirking next to her._

_"Gee... You guys screwed up." The brunette laughed. "You owe her an apology!"_

_Her raven - black hair swayed to one side as a light wind picked up, as though laughing at the other two._

_"We are most sorry!" The big headed kid bowed, and the Texan cowboy took off his hat blushing._

_"Sorry lil' lady... Won't never doubt ya again!"_

_Her smile showed her satisfaction as she leaned into the brunette. "I told you you should have had faith in me..." The brunette pulled his arm around her, and the others snickered. It was all in good friendly fun, but no one could help to think they would make the most awesome couple._

_"So..." He began walking to the vault close by, and went down the steps to a drawer. "This is what you won, huh?" She smiled so wide, they never thought it was possible._

_"Sure is!" She exclaimed with pride._

_"It is most cold!"_

_"Cool." The cowboy corrected._

_"Ah yes... Cool! Wait... What?" The yellow skinned fourteen year old looked at them all funny. The other three only laughed._

_"The golden tiger claws..." The brunette murmered dreamily, a glint in his emerald green eyes. "This will definately become my favorite." He slipped them on, and called their name, slashing into the air, and jumping into the hole."_

_"Raimundo!" The girl screamed as it split. She jumped out of the vault, as the three of them all glanced around, panic in their eyes. She began moving in reverse, not believing what was going on. This could be a cruel prank, but with him... Who knew how long it would go on for. And if he was unexperienced with using it... It's possible he might not get back._

_But, she ran into someone who wrapped their arms around her waist. Before she squealed, he placed a hand over her mouth, and leaned close to her ear. "Boo."_

_She turned and screamed, but seeing it was him, she slapped him and stormed off, extremely angry._

_??_

She felt the warm fur on her fingers, and decided to slip it on her right hand. Wiping her bloody and left hand again in the grass, making a strange splotch of red from two different occassions, she muttered. "Golden Tiger Claws?"

Seeing it did nothing, she dropped her arm quickly to her side. A gash ripped open, and she jumped back, amazed that it worked. "Wha?" She carefully stepped through it, falling through a strange space and time rip.

Truly the most amazing thing she had to have ever felt.

??

The girl came round when someone's face was close to hers.

"Hey... Are you alright?" Water dripped onto her cheeks, making her jerk back and blink at the same time. Ontop of that, sunlight was draining into her large pupils, burning her eyes. She didn't move until he slightly nudged her. "You alright?" He asked again.

She tried getting up, but seeing as she was failing quite miserably, he helped her a little. The Japanese girl couldn't seem to find her voice, so she could only stare into those emerald green eyes. Where in the world had she seen them? She could have sworn she just had. Shaking her head, she tried again to speak, but to no avail.

Upon seeing this, he got up and stuck out a hand. She took it gingerly, but when she stood up, she fell straight into him. He chuckled, "Heh, I didn't think I was that easy to fall for."

Too weak to fight back at that cocky statement, she simply closed her eyes. Seeing that she wasn't joking, he pulled her onto his back, "You must have been through a lot." His only reply was her chin resting on his shoulder. It was going to be very interesting communicating with this girl...

??

"Hey! Pedrosa, you finally found yourself another girl who deserves a piggy back ride eh?"

"Aye, Raphael!" He joked, smirking.

"Well, I just thought I'd let you know, you need to come to this huge party tonight. Bring your girlfriend. You can get it on!" He laughed, making a slightly perverted gesture. 'Pedrosa' only rolled his eyes.

"You're such an idiot Raph."

"Hey! I cannot help it ya?"

"Wow..." A girl lingered up to him, a beer in her hands, and she moved her hand around his waist, trying so hard to make herself look attractive. The truth was, she was. Blonde hair, crystal blue eyes.

"Adrenia! How you doing girl?" Raphael smiled at her, and she giggled. Noting he already basically had her under his wing, he turned to the brunette. "So, how about that party?"

"I can't." He looked at the blonde carefully. "She's been through a lot." He motioned to the girl on his back, her head leaning into his right ear, her eyes closed. "She can't even talk. I gotta figure out where she came from. Or at least get her off the beach. Especially if there are going to be perves like you running around out there tonight."

"Ah... I'm not all that bad."

"You aren't, but... You know, just want her to be safe."

"For your whole man - whore, I'm so sexy act... It's ruining your rep, but you're right... You always had the most caring side about you... Better you than us. Just one less person in the world I have to worry about. Oh, but it would be so grand to get in her - "

"Okay!" Adrenia smiled nervously at the brunette. "I think it's time for him to have a drink?" She asked in suggestion he come with her, and he happily agreed.

The brunette's mind drifted to the raven - haired girl on his back as he walked. He couldn't really understand how she could have washed up on shore. It looked like it, but he could be wrong. Tattered dress - type clothes, discolored tights, and quite muddy shoes, he was definately sure she washed up on shore. But, then what were these claws he slipped off of her hand when he first found her.

Before he did anything, he had pulled them off and examined them. It was almost like a leather and fuzzy wristband, with a glove attatched, with claws. If that made any sense. He decided he wouldn't show them to anyone, incase someone knew what they were...

Even if he wanted to know, if there was a chance that it was something bad... He didn't want her getting in trouble. She was already going through enough.

??

The girl's eyes fluttered open, glad that the room was rather dark. She felt sore, and she could barely move, but she felt bandage on her left hand. Glancing down, and slightly lifting her head, she saw the cut she had recieved from those stupid claws had been wrapped.

She lay her head down carefully again, staring up at the ceiling. It had a cheap fan spinning quickly to scare away the heat. The whole place seemed like that, except more cozy of a place than she'd been in a long time. At least, as far as she could remember.

The door creaked open, and there again were those piercing emerald eyes.

"Cool. You're awake..." He hurried over and sat in the chair next to the bed. She could only look at him with a slightly confused expression on her features. "Can you sit up?"

She tried, but had a little difficulty. He ended up helping her. She smiled slightly for her thanks, and pulled a pillow behind her head to lean back on. The boy shifted uncertainly. She spread her lips apart, and licked them, but still her mouth was very dry. He quickly handed her the glass he was carrying, and with shaky hands, she put it to her lips.

The water washed down her throat with a refreshing manner. It made her relax a lot more. He took the glass back and set it on the wooden night stand. "You've been out for only a few hours. I was surprised, thought you'd be out longer..."

She smiled, and flushed a little, thinking his attempt to make her laugh was a good one. She tried again to speak, and although it was hoarse and strained, she talked. "Where am I?"

He looked up at her and blinked back shock. But, a small grin began growing on his lips. "I'm glad you can still talk." She simply smiled again, waiting patiently for an answer.

"Well, my lady... You are in Rio de Jenario, Brazil!" She blinked, wondering why in the world the golden tiger claws brought her here. "Where are you from?"

She opened her mouth to answer, but tears began to leak out of her eyes. Finally, she looked down at her hands and began to cry into them.

"Hey..." He switched from sitting on the chair, to sitting on the edge of the bed, and put a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay... What's wrong?"

She looked up, tearstains already on her cheeks. "I don't know..."

He looked at her with a sympathedic smile, and took her hand, squeezing comfort into it. "What's your name? You're way too pretty not to have one."

She looked deep into his eyes, and she knew he wasn't trying to be cruel. But this... this only made her cry harder. Staring straight into the emerald orbs infront of her, she whispered through muffled sobs, "I can't remember..."

??

Wow. I like this fanfiction! Yay! Please review... I'd really like to hear what you think. Should I continue? Should I not? Lemme know! :D

I know I have a lot of stories to do, but I just really cannot help it. This idea seems totally fun. I promise though, I will update the other ones too lol... Just, don't bail on me yet! People please read!

seven more words to 2,000. last word!

?zesty?


	2. Chapter 1: Found

**When The Wind Blows**

**Chapter 1: Find**

"Oh... I um..." He flushed, totally embarassed he would pull this. So stupid. Of course there was that small possiblity, and he had failed to remember it.

She looked up at him, and her crying toned down, but only a little. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" He was confused. He should be the one saying sorry.

"I'm sort of... Dragging a lot on you?" She questioned, not sure if she put it the right way. He simply smirked at the fact she was trying not to just break down. She was brave, he could totally sense it.

"Nah, it's okay." He smiled at her, but flushed. "Oh! I almost forgot." He stuck out a hand and peered at her in the dim light. "I'm Raimundo. Raimundo Pedrosa."

She froze. The light from the shabby window struck her piercing eyes with shock. He was afraid something had been sort of wrong. Blinking, he held his hand steady.

Meanwhile, in the girl's mind, everything was spinning. Raimundo? Where had she heard that name before? She didn't know... She couldn't remember. But, seeing as he was questioning her strange behavior, she gingerly placed her hand in his.

Her touch was cold and unsure, but when he squeezed her hand reasurringly, that grip became more strong, and she sturdily shook it. Smiling she opened her mouth, her voice feeling stronger every time she spoke with the brunette. "Well Raimundo... If I had a name... I would totally let you know!"

He laughed at this, liking her personality a lot.

??

_"I'm Kimiko."_

_"Raimundo." He stuck out a hand and wriggled his eyebrows. She simply rolled her eyes and pushed his hand aside. "What, you want a kiss instead?"_

_Instead of getting what he puckered up for, she smacked him roughly in the arm with her fist._

_"Ow!" He yelped, looking at her with wide eyes. "How do you hit so hard?"_

_Giggling, she flipped her dyed, blonde hair in a blue wrap behind her shoulder, "It's my talent." He laughed at her, knowing this would be the target for all of his pranks. She would never be able to stay mad at him. "So..." She swung her legs over the ledge of the roof and peered at the sunset. "Where you from?"_

_"What does it matter?" He asked watching where she looked hopefully. "This is a place to start new, right?"_

_"Yeah. I guess you're right." She smiled and blushed without him seeing it, as the sun reflected off of them both, making long cast shadows on the ground._

_"Where are you from?"_

_"Tokyo, Japan!" She said, straightening, showing she was awful proud. "I'm happy to say I'm the daughter of a very important person."_

_He simply laughed, not pushing the subject anymore. "Rio..."_

_"In Brazil?" She questioned gingerly, also not wanting to push him._

_He nodded and continued, "Beautiful sunsets, amazing water, and hella good surfing!"_

_She made a face at his swearing for just one moment, but then grinned. "Surfing?"_

_It was his turn to puff out his chest. "Yeah, I'm a pro!"_

_"It would be great to learn how."_

_"How about I teach you?"_

_"Really?" She turned to face him, the sun setting faster with each passing moment._

_"Why not? I mean... You're super cute, and I so wouldn't mind getting to know you better... Just... One thing..."_

_"What? I'd do anything to learn how to surf! It seems so awesome."_

_"Yes, it is awesome... And... wear your hair natural."_

_"Natural?"_

_"Yeah... without the dye, or product... Or even up. Just down and natural."_

_"Just wearing my hair like that for a chance to surf? Okay... Deal!" They shook hands, and turned back to the sunset. Both couldn't wait for the day he could take her to Rio de Jenario, Brazil... so she could learn how to surf... It would be better at this temple than they both expected._

_??_

"So... What happened?" He broke the silence after going over her features quickly.

"To me?" She asked, her voice soft.

"Yeah..." He tried to sound patient, but he really wanted to know what in the world was going on with this girl. She only looked away, refusing to answer. He took that as a sign to stop asking questions. If she didn't know her name, she must not know what happened.

"I don't know..." She finally answered, and looked at him, her eyes glossed over. "And... I mean - now I can't get back to wherever I was." The girl looked down at her hands again. He slipped his carefully inside.

"It's okay..."

"I hope it will be." She answered, glancing up at him. Raimundo smiled bravely and asked if she could stand. After trying a few times, she finally succeeded in wobbling better than she had before, and followed him downstairs. Everything was quiet, except the distant sound of music and screaming.

"Where are we now?" She hated to be a burden with questions, but she needed to know.

"My house. It's down the beach from where you washed up on shore, but don't worry... My brothers and sisters and mom know you're here, and besides... They're asleep." She nodded slowly and followed in pursuit. "Are you hungry?"

"Yeah, a lot..." She smiled at him a little shyly.

"We - ell!" He sat and leaned back in a chair, putting both of his hands behind his head. "Do you have any clue? Like, no flashbacks or anything? I mean - usually people with amnesia get those little flashes."

"Well," she began, a little scared to tell him. But, her story had begun with those claws, where were they? She felt a sudden erdge to know, because they were her only type of protection. Basically, the only thing she knew of that would offer that sort of comfort. "Where are those claws?" She asked, peering at him with accusiation.

It suddenly clicked in his mind, this could be more challenging than he thought. He got up and walked over to a table in the living room. When he reappeared, he threw them to her. With a light noise, she caught them and cradled them to her lower chest.

"What is it with you and those claws huh?"

She glared at him, and slipped them onto her hand, feeling the sense of comfort flow through her body once again. Was it comfort, or was it something else? "If you must know..." She sigh and looked at him sadly. She should really be greatful to him.

The raven - haired girl began to explain her story. With each passing detail, Raimundo grew more and more interested, scooting closer to the edge of his seat, and widened his eyes.

"And..." She had a look that told him she was thinking awful hard. "There are these... flashbacks... I'm not exactly sure _what _they're of... There are... People in them."

"Tell me about it." He said, almost robotically. He really liked this story, and whether she was telling the truth or not, he really couldn't tell, nor did he care. There was something about this girl that fascinated him to the fullest extent.

"Like... the first one... It was almost as though I were watching it happen..."

"What was going on?"

"There was... a girl. She had black hair in pigtails, and blue eyes. Actually, she was what? Chinese, Japanese... I'm not sure. Then, there was another asian. Except, he was short... Looked about ten. He was really adorable; he had a big yellow head, and was really short. He talked as though he didn't know any like... up - to - date grammer, you know?"

He could only nod, waiting for her to continue.

"Then, there was this cowboy. He looked actually quite American. As American as they can get..." To this she gave a fond smile... Almost as though she was describing her best friends. "He was... big boned I guess you could put it, had blue eyes and blonde hair. But, most of it was covered by this like... ten gallon hat?" She questioned if this was what it was called, but if it wasn't, Raimundo wasn't about to interrupt.

"And then..." She stopped, studying him for a moment. Her expression was really unreadable to him. "There was a boy... He was tall... Handsome..." She giggled just for a second. "Chocolate brown hair... Emerald... green... eyes..." She watched him watch her.

They both stared at each other for sometime, before he finally got off the stool, and sat in a chair facing her. He slipped off the claw, and took each of her hands in his.

"Are - are you sure..."

"It's as clear as day..." She answered, her voice low for the first time. "It's as though it happened just yesterday."

"It's impossible..." Raimundo had lived in Brazil his whole life. She may have not done it, but he connected it easily. The boys name... and his name. How many Raimundo's were there in the world? And, ontop of that... He looked exactly the same.

He _knew _he'd never met any of those people before... and surely he hadn't done anything to lose his memory. Perhaps... If she wasn't nuts... these people... whoever they were... Maybe they were making a mistake...

??

Gosh, sorry that took a while for me to update!

I really like this story so far, but I've been uber caught up in a game. Final Fantasy XII ring a bell to anyone? It's a great game!

Please give me feedback and how you like the story so far. I know you guys are probably really confused, but I promise it will all be explained within the next chapter or two. But, if you have any other questions, please review them to me... and I'll reply with an answer as best I can without giving stuff away.

Other than that, any sort of comments are totally fine with me, just take the itty bitty time it takes to review! Thank you!

-zesty-


	3. Chapter 2: Confused

**When the Wind Blows**

**Chapter 2: Confused**

He balled his hands into fists as tightly as he could. So tight in fact, they began to cut into the skin on his palm. "Where IS she?" He glared at nothing, until a large - built blonde put a strong had on his shoulder.

"She'll be okay par'ner. Kim is strong..."

"Not after what happened, Mate... There's no way." The brunette growled. "I can't believe this..." He turned and gazed at the ancient building that was standing tall and strong, just as it had since it had been built.

Kimiko and the golden tiger claws were gone. They had no clue where she would be, and why in the world she hadn't come back. Omi hadn't been seen in what seemed like forever, and Clay was giving no reason as to why she would be 'okay'. What else was he suppose to do?

"I just - I can't do this right now... I'm sorry Mate..." He turned away, and walked away from the temple. Clay stood there, upset that his friend just wouldn't calm down and think for a moment.

"Charlie!" Clay yelled. The brunette turned around, a look of curiosity and annoyance spread like peanut butter across his face. "She'll be fine."

"Aye... Hope so... Hope so..." He continued walking; until he came to a spot he could sense something. Closing his eyes for a moment, he felt almost as though there was a known presence that had been, or was in that spot. He looked down, glancing all over the place for any trace of his beloved Kimiko.

Charlie Syliments. He had brown hair, and hazel eyes. He was sort of hot headed, and pretty cocky, but he could also be extremely caring and funny. His jokes were never harmful, and very rarely got someone mad. He hated irritating people, and always hated it when people were irritating him.

He hated the water, and despised soccer as a sport. He played tennis instead of soccer, and ran instead of swam. Heck, he'd even skateboard before he'd surf.

He loved to be serious. If he could be the leader twenty four seven, and work everyone until they were seriously sleeping, he would do it. When it came to a relationship, he would never in his life lead a girl on, or flirt with a girl so bad, everyone's talking about it. He would never kiss her unless it was friendly after a date or anything.

In some people's opinion, the worst thing about Charlie's personality was the fact he was a control freak. Not just a minor control freak, but one who needed everything to be his way or the high way.

Other than a few irritable flaws, Charlie was actually a very grand addition to the team. He was the weakest out of the four. No one understood why, but it didn't come as natural to him as it did with everyone else. At first, the teenager had had trouble controlling his element, or even his elemental Wu.

Kimiko, Omi, and Clay easily swayed and danced to the rhythm of their element, but it was as though Charlie was partially tone deaf to his. He couldn't get the right rhythm. Even though, he was their most free spirited character, and definitely the one that would win a most horrible one on one battle, if it was ever needed.

His whole team could depend on him, but... Honestly, no one really knew where he came from that made him so special. He came from the U.K. Had a mother, a father, two younger brothers, and some relatives. Nothing special, or unique. He didn't even have any peculiar talents either. This also confused some people. When everyone first arrived at the temple, they all thought that he would have the most potential to carry leadership, or anything in that area.

But, these days he was, like stated before, the weakest out of the four of them. And, no one for the life of them could figure out why... He had the most spirit, and the most heart out of everyone (minus Omi), and loved to do things the hard way.

This made the people wonder...

"Clay!" Charlie turned at Omi's voice, his face red from running so fast. "I found something!" As soon as these words left the monk's mouth, Charlie raised towards him.

"What did you find?" He asked urgently.

Omi took a step back, getting ready to lighten the mood. Even though, the two other males didn't know it. "You are all down in my heater!"

"I'm not even going to try..." Charlie broke into a grin, despite the situation.

"Do ya mean 'all up in my grill'?"

"That too!" Omi smiled, and turned. "Now follow me, I found something that could be useful... Then again, maybe it won't be..."

??

When they arrived at the scene, Charlie instantly kneeled and touched the grass. "Is it blood?" Omi nodded slowly.

"I am very sure." He answered. "And... I remember, Kimiko had come out this way after it happened..."

Charlie closed his eyes, tilted his head back, and pinched the bridge of his nose. How could he have let that happen to the girl?

??

_"She'll betray you for another..." He hissed in Charlie's ear, making him shudder. "She'll leave you, and betray you. Let me take care of her..."_

_Charlie spun around, and tried to produce a strong wind to send him off. But, it didn't work. Fifty times out of a hundred, it worked... But, fifty other times out of a hundred... It didn't. Why was it such a hit and miss for him? It wasn't supposed to be like this..._

_"You weren't meant to be here..." Chase whispered his voice almost... soothing. "You were meant to do greater things in the world... Your heart is like a big ying yang... You want to be good, but no matter how hard you try, you can't have the tinge bit of evil taken away from you."_

_"Aye?" He growled in the Heylin baddy's face. "What about the other side? The black side always has a li'le white..."_

_"On the contrary..." Chase's lips twisted into a wicked smile. "That little smidge of white... Would be her. But, once she's gone... You'll be all evil..." Charlie forced his eyes to stay open and away from Chase. This had happened to him once. He stared deep into the eyes of evil, foreseeing the future. It had scared him..._

_But after Kimiko comforted him, and a few months went by without this happening... He got over it. But no... With the stakes as high as they were right now, he couldn't possibly be freaked out._

_"You'll know..." Chase's voice was still low, and sent chills up the spine of the brunette. "Once she brings the true possessor of the wind element to this temple... You'll know where to find me!" Chase shot off a burst of blue energy (Jesus, what is my fetish with Chase hitting Kimiko with blue light?) at the young and unsuspecting girl._

_"Kimiko!" Charlie screamed, trying to run in front of it. But, as fate would have it, he tripped just in front of the shot... Not being able to block it. She was hit, and thrown backwards a good one hundred feet. With that, Chase disappeared, sending a thick haze over her three teammates..._

_They were doomed not to find her, as Chase Young placed the Golden Tiger Claws by her unconscious side, and left without a trace._

_??_

"I cannot believe this is happenin'..." Charlie snarled. He pushed Clay violently aside and stomped to the temple grounds. He was seeking Master Fungi...

??

"Master Fung!" He called out, half way across the meditation room. The old man opened his eyes, never leaving his meditating position.

"Yes, young apprentice?" Charlie's insides began to boil.

When everyone had been promoted to Wudai Warriors, Charlie had been left behind, blinking in their dust. Why he hadn't moved up with them was beyond him. The others didn't understand either, but as long as they had their rank, really they didn't' care.

The only person he remotely got sympathy from was Kimiko. But, that was so simple and so sudden; he had barely any time to grasp it.

"I need..." He breathed. "To speak with ya."

Master Fung kept his position, but placed his hands on his knees. He feared this would come... He himself was still trying to figure out the correct answer. "Have you found Kimiko?" Master Fung tried to stall as his mind still soared, looking for the answers.

"No..." Charlie grumbled. "But... That's not what I needed to say."

"No?" Master Fung raised an eyebrow, trying to lighten the mood with his own soft grin. Charlie's brow only creased further.

"I was wonderin'..." He sighed and took a deep breath. "Am I... Really... The one destine to be the Dragon of Wind?"

Master Fung hoped this question wouldn't come for sometime... But he feared he could hide from it no longer. His mind had found the answer... It was thorough and complete. Exactly what he needed for this explanation.

It was just in the knick of time...

??

"So... Where'd you come from?"

"I'm not actually sure..." She shrugged, forgetting if she heard the question more than once. She took a bite of her Easy Mac, the cheese squishing in her mouth. Raimundo did the same, but got up to pour them some pop.

"Well..." He flashed a smile at her, making heat immediately rise to her cheeks. "I can't help you get back, if I don't know where you're from... Right?"

The Japanese girl blinked at him, a look of shock spread upon her features. "Are you saying -?"

"Of course!" Raimundo laughed and placed Mountain Dew in front of her. "I mean... I couldn't thrust you out there, and expect you to get back on your own. You've got a seriously bad case of amnesia."

"Am...Nesia?" She stated, taking the cup in her hand. "Strange..." She sighed and took a sip.

Raimundo sat next to her, and put his hand on top of hers. "You in?"

The black haired girl looked at his hand, then at him, and set the cup down. "Most people would just thrust me out there..."

Raimundo scooted closer to her, and took a deep look into her eyes.

The nerve of this guy! Who was he, to look at her like that? But... He seemed so strangely familiar... Why was she so attached to him, not knowing him at all during her life…? Then again, she didn't remember a lot of things...

Without thinking on the subject any further, she pushed herself off the chair and forward, her lips gracefully pushing into his.

??

Okay! Sorry it took so long to update, I had lots of stuff I had to do... I hope you liked the chapter.

I also hope more of you review. I know there are more than 5 people reading this story :) I'd really love to hear from you guys! Who knows? You could get something from it in the end!

Think about it... Like the review description thing always says "This could be extremely useful on giving the writer feedback, and helping them improve their writing!" Please! (Sob) Review... For me!?

Hope you enjoyed, and I'll try and update sooner. If, after this chapter, you have any questions, direct them into your reviews, and I'll happily answer!

-zesty-!


	4. Chapter 3: Meet

**When the Wind Blows**

**Chapter 3: Meet**

"Hey, hey!" Raphael laughed, holding a beer in his hand.

"You are so too young to drink." Raimundo shook his head sadly, and glanced backwards, making a notion. "Adrenia's dancing with some other guy, you should go get her."

"Wha?" The blonde turned around slightly, but turned back nodding. "Ruko's looking for you." Raimundo cringed at the name.

"Ruko?" He asked, a little frightened. The girl only cocked her head. Obviously, the blonde had been very drunk, as he hadn't even noticed she was beside Raimundo, gripping his hand tightly.

"Yeah man!" He nodded, and pointed backwards. The pink hair stuck out like a sore thumb, and the brunette groaned.

"I don't have time for this! Can't you stall him? I want to take her to meet some people." For the first time Raphael noticed her.

"Ah! Who is this lovely lady?" He took her hand and kissed it, making her blush slightly. "Cute little darling, ain't she?"

Raimundo smirked, and shook his head. "I'm not sure what her name is..." She looked down, hoping she didn't seem to come on as strange. He motioned for her to go over and wait for him at the table with the fruit punch, and asked her to help herself to a drink.

She wondered away, refusing to let any of their later conversation float into her ears. She leaned against the table, suddenly wishing she could leave this place.

??

_She put her hands on her head, and looked around, scanning the crowd for her friend._

_"Of course..." She muttered, wondering aimlessly, until she was outside. "He saves the world after betraying it... And then, he brings me to some stupid party, and what does he do? Ditches me!" Her blood boiled at the thought of the Brazilian betraying them._

_He had made it up enough by finishing that old witch off with the puzzle box, but she just wasn't sure how things were going to go after that._

_She found her way to a balcony, and opened the door. After stepping out, she shut it again, completely blocking out the music from inside. "All I want to do is leave... It's much too loud... And, I don't know anyone here." She muttered, sighing heavily._

_"Hey." there was a voice behind her that made her jump. She whipped around to see her best guy friend smirking, with a flower in his hand. "I thought you'd never find me."_

_"You should have told me to look..." She was confused at how in the world he was out here._

_"You're smart... I wanted you to figure it out on your own..." He smiled happily, and motioned her over. He had offered Clay and Omi to come to the party as well, but Clay was going back to see his father, and Omi wanted time with Master Fung alone. What better way than to drag Kimiko off, when Clay's already gone._

_She smiled, and daintily walked to the edge. "It's beautiful up here."_

_"Isn't it?" He flashed her a grin, and then leaned over the stone. "I used to come here all the time... To this place."_

_"Isn't this the -"_

_"Since this is the suburbs of Rio, it's an extra building they use for big parties, or town meetings that are over - filled. You know, stuff like that."_

_She nodded, and looked at him. But, he stuck out his hand, and handed her the flower. "A lily?"_

_He simply shrugged, "I thought that would make up for me leaving you downstairs to find me by yourself." Giggling, she took the flower, and examined it._

_It was a snow white lily with little splotches of cream all over it. None of the pedals were torn; same with the leaves. "Oh Rai... It's a beautiful flower."_

_"Just like you." To this, she smiled and moved her lips over his. They stood there for a good minute, kissing passionately. It was the start of a great, new, and different perspective on their friendship. The days to come would decide if they would be just friends, or more._

_??_

"She doesn't even know her name?"

"It's weird man... But, whatever it is... I really got to get her back. I can't like... Keep her here with me." Raphael nodded in understanding.

"You don't need help, do you?" Raimundo only shook his head. "Well... Don't get attached. I've seen things like this before. The girl CLAIMS her -"

"Her memory is shot Raph... I know exactly what you're going to say... And no it's not like that at all... I promise."

Raphael nodded, and they began another conversation concerning where he was going to take her.

All the while, Kimiko tried not to pay attention to the weird facial expressions on Raimundo's friend's face. Suddenly, right beside her, a blinding pink head popped up.

"Hiya girlie!" The person squealed. She turned in surprise to see violet eyes shining at her. Pink hair exploded from their head, going until just about the shoulders. Make up was beautifully done, and a completely white, tooth - filled smile graced the face.

"Um. Hello..."

The person stuck out their hand brightly. "I'm like Ruko!!" The over hyper attitude, pink and long hair, and make up fooled her. She, at first glance thought a girl had popped up beside her... But, she had been wrong.

"Nice to meet you!" She smiled brightly, thinking it was weird he could brighten anyone's mood by just standing there. They shook hands, and she spotted the bright pink nail polish painted professionally on his nails. "I'm... Well..." She thought for a moment, before smiling. "If I knew my name, I'd tell you!"

Ruko's face dropped into a puppy dog look. "Oh! I'm like, so sorry about like that! It's like... a shame!" He smiled again. "I'll just call you... Nicole."

"You really think I look like a Nicole?" The girl asked, looking down at herself. "I always pictured Nicole's as brown hair, blue eyes, and tall."

"Well..." He thought for a moment, placing a hand on his hips. She smiled, almost wanting to laugh at the picture. He was probably the most brightly dressed here, but strangely, he had an awesome sense of style. "You have blue eyes! See, so it fits!"

She couldn't hold it in, she laughed at his joke. "Alright..." She nodded determinedly, "Nicole it is!"

"Oh!!" He squealed, hopping up and down, grabbing her arms, forcing her to prance with him. "That is like so totally cool!"

Raimundo soon joined the too, and smiled weakly at the bright person in front of him. "Rai - Mun - do!!" He broke up and drew out the Brazilian's name, making him flinch. Hugging him tightly, Ruko pulled back, and kissed the air in front of his face. "How like, are you?"

"I'm great Ruko..." He scratched the back of his head with a shy look about him. "Yourself?"

"Absolutely fantascious!" He flipped his hair, and laughed like a popular girl with no brain. Kimiko smiledfondly tilting her head at the two. Apparently, they knew each other pretty well... Even though Raimundo looked a little uncomfortable.

"It's because he hits on Rai..." Raphael said behind her, explaining why Raimundo was so nervous. She glanced backwards and giggled. "You don't ever have to worry about yourself around him."

Of course, she would hope he wouldn't make a joke against Ruko's choice, but... He had had too much to drink, so she really couldn't judge him.

"Raimundo!!" A girl screamed. Kimiko turned, along with everyone else, and saw a girl with blonde hair and sparkling green eyes staggering over. "Oh my god! Hi! I haven't seen you in forever!"

"It's only been a couple hours, Adrenia's." He pushed away any hand she tried to lay on him. She only laughed and pushed herself against him.

Kimiko felt her grip on the table tighten. Her fingers had been off the edge of the table, her wrist pointing in, and she could now, for some unknown reason, feel her fingers curl under the ledge of the wood. Raphael noticed this, and put a hand on top of hers.

When it came to Adrenia, he could act as sober as someone who hadn't had a single drop of alcohol hit their body in three years. They'd had one of those relationships like 'friends with benefits'. But of course, they could lightly kiss, or flirt with someone else, but if it were anything more, they had every right to get mad. Their relationship was strange like that.

"Like oh my god!" Ruko hugged her, purposely trying to get her away from Raimundo. "I haven't like seen you in forever girl! How have you been! O - M - G!"

She giggled with her arms draped around his shoulders. "Excellent..." She moved in for a kiss, but Ruko shrieked and hopped backwards before she could get close. He put a hand to his chest and breathed hard for a moment. Raimundo luckily caught her before she fell, but they all glanced his way.

Ruko just smiled sweetly, "Thought I saw a spider..." He shrugged when everyone gave him a weird glance.

"Some party, huh?"Raimundo asked. Raphael steered Adrenia away, thinking Raimundo should get back to his visitor. Raimundo nodded, and waved his thanks, turning and smiling at Kimiko.

She had her head slumped slightly, and her fingers still curled under the table. Her eyes were closed, and a little frown was on her lips.

"Are you okay?" She looked up, and for the first time, he saw the tiredness in her eyes.

"Can we leave?" She asked quietly. He nodded quickly, before taking her hand, and leading her down the beach. As she walked, she looked up at the full moon.

Suddenly, a shiver crept up her spine, making her shudder.

??

_Green eyes twinkled with sadness. His head drooped, his chin touching his chest._

_He was angry that he didn't get promoted._

_"Are you alright?" He turned at the touch of a girl. She was quite a bit shorter than him, and had black hair. He nodded, glaring at her sash with envy. "You'll get it... Master Fung just didn't think you were ready..."_

_He pulled away, hating the comment she'd just offered. No one thought he was ready... Except for him. Anger bubbled up inside of him, and he stormed off._

_Confused, and a little hurt, she called after him, "Charlie!" But, there was no reply as he turned out of the temple vault into the night. She ran after him, but there was no one around. She sighed and looked up at the full moon._

_??_

"Charlie?" She whispered.

??

Woot! The chapter is complete! Sorry if it was short, but I think it gets my point across :) YES! Ruko is back for all your fans of his first appearance in "I Do."

Now, I just wanted to let you all know. I MEAN NO OFFENSE to anyone by putting Ruko into the story. I hope you understand he's in there for only entertainment purposes only.

Thank you for reading, and please review! I'll update faster if I get more reviews... Keep that in mind :) :)

-zesty!-


	5. Chapter 4: Forget

**When the Wind Blows**

Chapter 4: Forget

"So... What do you wish your life was like?"

"I don't really know." She smirked then. "Oh, I wanted to be a rock star." Raimundo turned to her, a shocked look on his face.

"Someone like you?"

"What's wrong with me?" She put her hands on her hip and glared playfully at him. He quickly put his hands up in defense.

"No... I didn't mean it like that! But, I mean..." He then shrugged a sly little smile on his face. "Come on... You?" She pushed him, causing his feet to splash in the water. He decided it was time to change the subject. "What did you wish you're name was?"

"Well... Ruko gave me the name Nicole. But, I myself cannot picture myself as Nicole." Raimundo agreed with her. There was a silence, until she spoke again. "I really love the names Kimiko and Keiko."

"Kimiko and Keiko huh?" She nodded.

"They both seem so familiar... So... comfortable." She smiled a graceful and true smile. A smile Raimundo very rarely saw on a girl.

??

_"They are just so cute!" He clapped his hands together, eyes gleaming with happiness._

_"Rai... Never say that again Par'ner." The blonde nodded._

_"I think her friend is friggen hot!"_

_At this, the two girls turned, and smiled. "Raimundo!" The one with blue eyes smiled and called him over. The brunette, who had called them cute, jogged over and kneeled on one knee, taking the other girl's hand in his own._

_"My lady..." He kissed her hand, making the green eyed girl blush furiously. This made the sapphire eyed girl huff, and cross her arms._

_"This is Keiko." She nodded, to the green eyed girl._

_"A pleasure..." He stood back up and smiled, then quickly put his hands around the other girl's waist. "But, this is much more..."_

_She squealed as he picked her up and kissed her. "Raimundo!"_

_"Kimiko..." He whispered in her ear seductively._

_??_

She stopped and blinked, looking at him. "Okay... hold on."

"What?" He asked, confusion ringing in his tone.

"You know those flashbacks right...?"

"You had another one about that Charlie dude?"

"No, no... I just said that my two favorite names were Kimiko and Keiko... right?" He nodded. "There were two girls in my flashback... One named Keiko, and one named Kimiko... And, then there was you." They both stared at each other for a moment, trying to think about what was going on. "Wait!"

"What?" He asked, curious on how he could help.

"What color eyes do I have?"

"Blue... Err, more of a sapphire actually." She stopped and began explaining the flashback as vividly as she possibly could.

After she had finished, Raimundo looked up at her (as he sat down while she explained), with wide eyes. "Don't you understand?"

She simply cocked her head.

"You fit the description of that girl... Kimiko... Perfectly." She looked away, not being able to meet his eyes. "Maybe that's you!"

"What?" She whipped around, her eyes wild.

"Well think about it! What if you're her?"

"That is positively and absolutely insane!" She looked at him, completely befuddled.

"You don't remember who you are! Let's say you are her! You wouldn't even know!"

She looked taken aback. Raimundo dug around in the backpack he brought with him, and found a mirror. _"Leave it to Rai to bring a mirror!" _Raphael had laughed when he brought it. Adrenia agreed with Raimundo's best friend, but when he was going to decide against bringing, Ruko put it back in his hands.

_"It could be of use to you!" _He had smiled so bright, and so hopeful, and nodded, almost like a motivational speaker. Actually, that was a cleaned up sentence, stripped of the word 'like'. So, it wasn't really professional, but whatever floated his boat.

He flashed it at her face, only to watch her eyes widen with shock. She touched her pink cheek, watching her sapphire eyes widen. "Kimiko..."

"Doesn't that just slip off your tongue?" Raimundo handed her the mirror. She moved it up and down her body, making sure it was true. She saw the same slim figure, sapphire eyes, and raven black hair. Maybe she was the girl in the vision.

For now... That would just have to do for a name. "I don't know if it's true... But, I've been able to trust you so far..."

Raimundo smiled the biggest smile she'd seen yet. "Kimiko it is!"

??

_"So I can't call you anything else?"_

_"Why would you call me something other than my name?"_

_"I don't know... I mean, don't get me wrong, your name like rolls off my tongue, but the fact of the matter is..."_

_"Fact of the matter is what?" She put a hand on her hip. "Don't you like my name Raimundo?" She smiled, her sapphire eyes sparkling at him._

_"I love your name..." He sat next to her, and watched the blonde cowboy try to teach the yellow - skinned monk how to 'throw his weight around'. He smiled at nothing in particular._

_"Thank you." She traced his line of sight, and watched what he was analyzing._

_"Kimiko..." He nodded, trying out the name once more on his tongue._

_??_

"Are you absolutely sure that you want to do this? Or that it will even work!?"

"It will work..." He hissed at her, turning and glaring. It shut her up, but only for a moment.

Once he looked away, she spoke again, but this time with haste. "We're going to run out of time!"

"No..." He raised his voice for a moment, but then cleared his throat, and his voice went low again. "We aren't going to run out of time." His lips twitched into that cruel twisted smile... Just as it did the night his plan was put into action. "The Dragon of Fire will come back; completely unaware of the trouble she's going to cause."

"How do you suppose she'll come back?"

"I'll implant a memory into her mind, about the temple so they know where to go. There is no way Pedrosa will let her go by herself... He is already falling for her. I can feel it."

Chase's smile grew even wider, as he turned towards his partner. Or rather, his partner that would soon be destroyed. Of course... She didn't know that... "It's crazy." She stated. He glared at her, and by his magic, she could _feel_ the burning towards her. "But!" She started quickly, only to get more heat. "It'll work..."

Her skin began to turn back to a normal temperature, as she let out the breath she didn't know she was holding. For the time being, she was safe... But she knew Chase had something up his sleeve that included Charlie... and her.

"Wuya..." He asked turning around slowly, a wicked look spread across his face. He cocked his head to the side, and then smiled at her. "My sweet, sweet Wuya..." He lulled her into a trance not Chase's worst woman enemy could deny. "Whatever are you worried about?"

But, she had known his game for too long... She pulled away and shrugged. "There's nothing my dear Chase..." She smirked, and walks out. He only blew a piece of hair out of his eye, and turned back to his orb.

He would watch what both groups were doing, to make sure Kimiko was reunited with her team...

??

Charlie woke and sat up, brown hair flying into his face, wet as though he'd just got done done swimming. He felt his head. It was hot, and also soaked, but he was shivering.

"Cold Sweat." He snapped his head around to Clay, who was sitting there.

"Aye, why didn't you wake me?" He tried to ask with a calm voice. Clay only shrugged, and took his tea off the night stand, to take another sip.

"I tried." His accent had grown less heavy, and easier to understand. If he had said the same thing to Charlie when they first met, he'd be giving him a strange look asking what in the world he said. "You wouldn't wake up." Charlie shook his head to stare away from Clay.

"Did I say anything?"

"Something about how it was our fault Kim died, and Chase Young bein' your only ally."

"I said that?" Charlie whispered, more to himself than to Clay... But the cowboy already knew that. "How..." But, when Charlie looked up, he realized that Master Fung had already told the blonde. "You know then Mate?"

Clay could only nod, and sip his tea once again. Everything was silent for a moment, before his best friend talked again. "I'm glad..." The brunette looked on with strange eyes. "That you came though, that is..." He smiled, showing off his pearly white teeth. "I dunno what we woulda done... Without ya here. You kept the team together... More than he prolly would have. Or she..."

Both of them chuckled, but really Charlie was feeling worse every moment. More and more of what Chase said was becoming clear to him... Things were suppose to work out, just like the half dragon - half man had said.

_"You weren't meant to be here... You were meant to do greater things in the world..."_

He was scared no doubt... He didn't want to betray the people he had come to know as his friends.

??

Oh gosh, I'm so sorry I'm late. Really I am. Thank you all for the wonderful reviews! I think that's the most I've gotton on a chapter. I'm glad you all love this story so far :) I'm actually enjoying writing it!

Just something that Stormy Dreamer pointed out... In the flashback at the end of the last chapter, where Charlie did not get promoted, I said he had emerald eyes. That could confuse people, because Charlie has hazel eyes. So dearly sorry, I meant to put hazel, I just could have sworn his eyes were emerald. But, they aren't... So just thought I'd point it out, because it confused a few different people who contacted me.

I was basically asleep when I was writing it... Please don't judge! Lol

I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and please review. It helps motivate me TONS! Thanks!


	6. Chapter 5: Live

**When The Wind Blows**

**A/N: So with a weird streak of inspiration to update this story - after a very VERY long wait, I shall give you a chapter and see how it goes. Wish me luck!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own it.**

**Chapter 5: Live**

Charlie leaned forward, his hazel eyes narrowing in frustration. The guy in front of him nodded his head, his sun-kissed hair wavering in the slight breeze. He couldn't figure out this move, and Clay had offered to help him. But somehow he was starting to think it wasn't enough.

They hadn't been looking for Kimiko as much as he wanted to. She could have been out there and hurt, although judging by the blood they had found on the ground, it was definitely not a very big wound. Of course, the brunette favored over-analyzing things.

He shifted his weight onto the balls of his feet, positioning himself in a determined battle stance, watching the blonde across from him mirror his movements. He would get this down and master it, even if it was the last thing he ever did... He would do this, and then he would train a bit more, then, whether his team was with him or not he would go find Kimiko.

"Charlie..." Just as he started his attack on the Earth Dragon in front of him, a voice behind him stopped, the air he had conjured (a very rare thing for him to do), disappearing with the lack of concentration.

With anger rising into the extremes, he turned around to see Master Fung. His icy blue eyes were soft and apologetic, but even with Clay's hand resting on his shoulder in an attempt to calm him down, Charlie couldn't help but feel his agitation climbing.

"Yes, Master Fung?" He asked through clenched teeth; it would do no good to get mad at the man now... After all, he was still keeping him here, even though everyone knew he was indeed _not_ the Dragon of Wind.

This killed his motivation to do anything that included training. He believed the only thing keeping him going was finding Kimiko. Though he didn't have the power his friends possessed, he had more drive to do things (except lately) than they ever would, and he knew that he had to keep going no matter what.

"May I speak with you?" He questioned, raising an eyebrow, the sun shining behind him in a perfect notion where Charlie couldn't clearly see his face; he swore the old man did that on purpose sometimes.

"Aye..." He glanced up at the cowboy standing quizzically behind him, but shrugged off the strange sense he got from his best friend.

Shaking his head, he followed Master Fung into the meditation room, where he was invited to sit and have some tea. Although he simply wanted to get back to training, he simply couldn't refuse. As he sipped his tea, he waited for the man to start their conversation, but he never did. Awkwardness arising in the situation, Charlie spoke.

"So what's this all about?" He questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"You do plan to look for Kimiko once you have trained, am I correct?"

"Umm..." He was slightly freaked out sometimes at how much Master Fung knew - he had hit the nail right on the head. "Yeah..." He simply couldn't lie to the man.

"I forbid it."

"What?" He jumped up in a rage, knocking the tea over the floor.

The other monks would not appreciate having to clean it up when it was he who made the mess in the first place, but at the moment he didn't care how much anyone else liked him. His eyes blared with a new found hate of the situation at hand - for the man forbidding him to put his plan in motion.

"You have been blinded by rage and anger at the loss of Kimiko, and your anger flares at Chase Young. I mustn't let you do something rash and irresponsible..."

"Forget rash and irresponsible!" He yelled, arms flailing in the air, his eyes narrowing in accusation, "She could be out there and hurt, or worse and -"

"Kimiko is a strong individual. Her power over fire will ensure a survival until we are ready to look for her. The Golden Tiger Claws are gone..." He let this sink in for a moment, "She has found a place to go..." He nodded then, "Trust her, and trust me."

"How can I bloody trust you when you're sentencing the girl to her death?!"

"It is not death, young one."

"The hell it isn't!" With that he stormed out of the usually peaceful room, stomping over to his own, and screeching the metal the curtain was on by sliding it shut so fast.

??

_"To China? To train?" The old man questioned, running a strong hand through his graying hair._

_"Papa, this is a huge opportunity!" She whined, her sapphire eyes wide with beauty and fascination, "You have no clue how wonderful this could be!"_

_"What about high school? It starts next year Kimi..."_

_"But... But..." She huffed and crossed her arms, whipping around. "I'm going to the temple to train, Papa... It's doing something important, something to help the _world_! And I _have_ to do it! It's the difference I've always wanted to make!"_

_He smiled at her, "Where in China is this?"_

_She shook her head, "It's by some mountains in some forest..." She chuckled at how odd that truly sounded - he was breaking, she could tell, "But it's more in the western part, probably more south than north. Papa it's so pretty there, and they explain it's in a rural area - it'll be a good change!"_

_"Do you know anyone else who's going?"_

_"Just three others, but from different countries entirely. It'll be so exciting!"_

_"So long as you write me all the time, and make sure you keep up with everything you need to do..." He finally let on a big grin, so proud of his daughter, she could have cried at the time had she noticed it..._

_??_

Sapphire eyes popped open, raven hair flying in front of her face, as she sat up and looked around. She was still on the beach, still hearing the ocean water wash back and forth on the sand. She was laying on a blanket, another tangled in between her legs.

Looking around, she saw the fire still barely alive in the pitch black of the night, and behind it the brunette mumbling to himself as he slept, a smile gracing his lips as he squeezed his eyes tighter shut and flopped over on his stomach. She could have laughed if she wasn't so jumbled about the dream.

Crawling across the sand, not caring how much was coming off of her clothes, and just how much she was adding to it all, she shook awake the brunette, "Raimundo!" She hissed, her voice quiet as the ominous looking waves curdled against the mud-like sand.

"Huh?" He flung himself up, trying to look alert even though he wasn't, his groggy eyes looking around for the source of his wake, "Oh... Kimiko?"

"I know where we're supposed to go!" She grinned at his dumbfounded expression turning into a grin.

"That's great!" He smirked, and smoothed down his shirt, then glanced back up at her, "What's wrong? You don't seem too happy..."

"It's just... I know... We're supposed to be going to..." She paused and took in a breath, puffing it out with the word, "China."

"China?" He let out a low whistle, his eyes glinting with what was left of the fire, "That's crazy... But whatever we have to do..." He trailed off, looking away out to the water.

"You don't mind?"

"I promised I'd get you back, didn't I?" He questioned, quirking an eyebrow.

"But that's such a long ways away..."

He chuckled and stood up, dropped the blanket back into the sand, and slipping off his shoes... He walked closer down to the water, and put his feet on the wet sand, getting the very edge of the now seemingly peaceful wave leaking onto shore.

"How about this..." He was going to propose an idea to her.

"What?" She carefully walked to the back of him, straying away from the water she thought looked absolutely terrifying. He knew she thought that about the water, which was where the idea was going...

"You swim with me..." He smirked at her blushing complexion, "And I'll take you all the way to China until someone knows who you are!"

"No way! Absolutely not!" She took one look at the water and turned around, going back up by the warm fire, "I refuse to get in that water!"

He walked stealthly behind her, and picked her up, ignoring her protesting squeals and struggles. He had every intention to going to China with her, not wanting to abandon such a pretty girl to find her lost memory on her own. No, he would go with her even if she sobbed for him to let her down, and she never ended up going in, but it was always fun to get something out of the deal.

Exactly what he was looking for, he wasn't sure, but he just figured something interesting might come out of their experience in the water. As gracefully as he could, he tossed the struggling girl into the water, watching her body make a splash. Laughing, he dunked under himself, the cold water refreshing to his hot skin from laying to close to the fire.

She came out, spluttering and coughing, panic apparent in her eyes. She tried to dog paddle, the automatic thing for people to do when they can't swim, to the shore, but he wouldn't let her.

"I'm going to teach you how to swim..."

"Y-you're c-c-crazy!" She managed to inform him, her teeth chattering together as shivers wracked her small frame.

"We'll get out in a couple minutes..." He smirked, "It's not even that cold."

"What-t-ever..." She shuttered, as he preformed a single stroke around her.

"Try floating on your back..." He smiled, "Come on try it, swimming is a part of life, Kimi."

"Kimi?" She raised her eyebrow, slightly amused.

"It slips off the tongue, don't blame me..." He winked, and instructed her yet again to float on her back. Taking in a huge gulp of air, she steadied herself on the surface of the water, glancing around, freaked out he was going to pop out of nowhere.

She jumped anyways, when he put his hand on the small of her back. Grinning and leaning over her, he informed her that she was successfully floating on her back, and that a wave was coming, and that she was going to ride it while still on her back. Immediately she tried to flop back over, but he held her in place.

"It's really not all that hard, just take in a breath..." He told her, smiling when the wave got close, "Ready?"

"Don't let go!"

"I won't..." He laughed, and took in a breath, signaling for her to do the same. Immediately as she did this and squeezed her eyes shut, she felt his hand slip from her back, which made her freak out, but she kept still, not wanting to make the situation any worse.

After the wave was gone, he appeared again, only his eyes and the chocolate hair clinging to his face above the surface. She gasped as his hand reappeared on her back, making him smile at her.

"You were great..." He praised, raising an eyebrow, "You sure you haven't swam before?"

"How am I supposed to remember!" She shrieked, catching another small wave in her mouth because he didn't warn her this time. Scampering around in the water, she ended up clinging around his neck.

He looked at her with a slightly shocked expression, a blush creeping to both of their faces. While he still had the nerve, he quickly shot his head forward, capturing his lips with hers.

For a long while, Kimiko's mind couldn't process what was going on. The shock built up inside of her definitely wasn't something she was used to. When he tried to pull back though, she surprised herself even more, but following his lips with her own, not wanting him to back away. The kiss was pure magic, and although she didn't know where it came from, even the water that overlapped their head where he stood, the water up to his chest, Kimiko protectively held in his arms, she didn't care.

This was a part of life, and she was going to embrace it. After all, what else did she have? He was an amazing kisser... Though the possibilities of her old life were endless between already being married, and having absolutely no connection with boys at all, as the flashbacks were sketchy, jumping from some people to the next, she allowed herself to kiss this boy she had just met.

Just like she had said, it didn't matter what was going on in her real life, it was the here and now she was enjoying, Raimundo the only one with her every step of the way. They both deserved a reward...

??

**A/N: Wasn't expecting that, were you? Hahaha. It's been such a long time since I've written this story it's absolutely insane! Depending on how popular this story still is - perhaps I'll go and update again :D You have to leave a review to let me know of course though lol.**

**Charlie yes, is if you recall, English... But I've lost touch with my English accent for a long time now, and if I can get it back great! But you must give me a break when it comes to that kid. He's an OC I'm not used to in the least bit - you have to give me time to get reused to him. He might not be too English for a while :D**

**Thanks for reading! Sorry for the what? Two year wait :P**

**-zesty-**


	7. Chapter 6: Idea

**When The Wind Blows**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Xiaolin Showdown**

**A/N: Yet another year goes by and I feel that I should update this :) We'll see how it goes haha, I don't remember, still, what's going on really…**

**Chapter 6: Idea**

"_Golden Tiger Claws!" A slash ripped in the air, the purple vortex swirling about ominously._

_They both blinked before glancing at each other, uncertainty planted in each of their eyes._

_He gripped her hand and sent her a reassuring smile, "We're going to find out who you are!"_

_She nodded, "Yeah!" and with that they jumped through._

?

"We're _lost!_" She groaned, dumping her small weight onto a crate. "This town is weird, we're tired and hungry, and just _can't find where we're supposed to go!_"

He scrunched his face, and sat down next to her, "You get crabby when you're tired…" He observed.

"I'm completely _calm!_" She screeched, causing a few people to stop and look, walking around them as though there were a force field – no one got within fifteen feet.

"Stay right here, okay?" He stood up, and walked down the path, differing majorly from the shorter people who wandered along, their shirts tied together, tattered pants, and straw hats.

She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and closed her sapphire eyes. Leaning back a little, she stretched out her legs, and dug her heels into the dirt. She was just frustrated. Neither of them knew where to go next, and it wasn't possible to _ask_ because they didn't know where they were going!

Simply thinking about it made her disgusted as she rose from her spot, wondering if she should go after the brunette. Deciding against it, as not finding where he went could agitate her more, she grumbled and sat back down.

Within a few minutes, he came running back up the path, his eyes sparkling. "Here Kimi…" He dropped a container on her lap, chopsticks on top of that, and a necklace on top of that.

"What's this?" She gasped, her cranky mood disappearing altogether. He took notice of how short of an attention span she had when it came to acquiring things that weren't edible.

?

"_You _have_ to come with me! I won't let you say no!" She stomped her foot, her hands on her hips, eyes angry._

_He smiled, and bowed his head slightly, eyes twinkling. He stood tall again, as though he were defeated, but just as soon as she was about to turn around and skip off in glee of winning another battle, he spoke._

"_Nnnno." He laughed at her steamed expression, as she screamed, yanking violently at her hair, before stomping away._

_Chuckling, he picked up his game controller once more, and was about to sit down to play. Unfortunately for him, before the T.V. was turned on, he saw her reflecting in the screen._

_Her smile was wicked, and her hand was ignited with fire, and with the other hand she held Ninja Fred, dangerously close to the flames._

"_Ninja Fred!" He cried out, whipping around on the sofa, one hand on the back, and one outstretched._

"_I never lose, Raimundo…" She glared at him, "come shopping with me!" She whined._

_He narrowed his eyes, pulling one hand dramatically into a fist, playing it close to his heart, "You fiend!"_

_She snorted, and threw the bear. "Let's go, or he gets it later!"_

"_You're an evil little girl…" She punched him in the arm, "Ouch!"_

"_I'm not little!" She insisted. "Our first task is to get Dojo to take us…" She pulled out a Master Fung plushie, "Which shouldn't be a problem…"_

_Raimundo shook his head and followed the girl. Moments later there were screaming cries of pain, and a dragon flew away from the temple, one petite girl, and one tall Brazilian boy riding him._

_?_

_Her mood had completely evaporated._

_Raimundo winced as he was dragged into another store, holding onto Dojo for dear life, "I don't think I've ever seen her smile this much…"_

_Dojo looked slightly breathless, as though the boy's grip wouldn't allow him to breath, but the brunette didn't let up._

_She pulled anything she could snag that was her size off the wracks, "It's been so long since I've been shopping!"_

"_Didn't you go with Clay just like a week –" She snarled at him, a ferocious look sweeping across her face, "I mean… Oh yeah you could definitely use some more clothes!" A charming face graced her features again, as she nearly danced to the dressing rooms._

"_I wonder if she's bipolar…" Dojo wondered out loud, Raimundo squeezing his hand around the miniature dragon's head so she wouldn't hear anymore comments._

_?_

"I saw it, when I was getting us some food…" He smiled, "and I thought of you…"

"It's beautiful, Rai, thanks…!"

"Rai?" He teased. (If there were any other times she called him Rai instead of Raimundo, just pretend those didn't happen lol)

"It slips off the tongue, don't blame me…" She parroted him from the night before, as he huffed, mumbling something about copying. The girl only giggled, before grabbing his hand, "Let's find a place to take a break…"

"Okay…" He nodded, following her along.

?

The tall man smirked, his teeth showing from under his lips. His fingers were laced together behind his back, eyes on the orb in front of him.

He watched the girl grab the boy's hand as they moved along, and could only laugh. He knew he was right – he had planned the whole thing after all… His plans never failed…

With a nod of his head, a few of his warrior cats prowled from the room. It was large with high ceilings, and a waterfall falling not too far away. He slowly sat in a cushioned chair with more grace than any normal human.

His golden eyes scanned the door, all knowing to who was about to come in. He rubbed his temples with his gloved hands, letting out a small groan, before straightening up as though he wasn't expecting an entrance.

The door opened very slightly, just so someone very thin could move through. Unfortunately, for the intruder on his tranquility, she didn't open it enough. Trying to look sexy and thin didn't work, as the door creaked open, ruining her element of surprise.

His eyes moved towards the redhead, "Wuya…"

"Chase…" She laughed in a giggle – a most disturbing sight…

"What do you want?" He asked bluntly, pretending to be interested in his nails, though the gloves really diffused the purpose.

She pushed some hair behind her ear, her forest green eyes looking the man up and down as she batted her eyelashes against her cheeks in what _she_ thought was a seductive way. "When I was… out…" She seemed not to want to go into details about her errand running, "I came across two very interesting people…"

"Oh?" He asked, sitting up, a little more interested in the woman in front of him.

She laughed once more, twirling some hair between her fingers, before letting it fall back in its place as she moved forward, her grace almost just as elegant as her hips moved side to side, synchronized with her walk.

"Kimiko and Raimundo…" She almost purred, walking close.

His interest crashed as he leaned his head against the back of the chair, crossing his legs protectively, though bored in front of him. "I knew they were here…"

Her entire presentation shattered, and what she _thought_ she would get for praise from this news was immediately swept from her mind. "What?" She asked through clenched teeth.

He gestured to the orb in front of him, "Do yourself something useful, and check my progress on the dear Warrior of Wind…"

Chase decided a long time ago to not refer to Charlie as a Dragon of Wind… He wasn't the real one – why play into the monks' games by going along with it. It had always bothered the English child, and made the monks all the more furious – especially the Dragon of Fire.

That would soon all change of course – he would get his wish… The raven haired girl, and the brunette boy would be stumbling upon the temple with a little bit of a nudge from him… He would simply have to place a Wu in Jack's hands… For once the idiot's gloating would come into use…

They would surely follow him for a Shen-Gong-Wu into the village… He would just have to plant a clue that Kimiko should stay there… One that would convince them that they would find something if they stayed there… But _what_. He didn't remember a time when shifting through her memories she'd ever been to a village like that…

He would have to think of that after he'd summoned and dealt with the headache of Jack. Unfortunately, that would take a lot longer than he originally had planned to give the redhead, so he allowed him more time – to make up for all the fanboy problems he would have… Especially when he didn't break and enter – he would be called to Chase's lair…

Chase knew he would have to give Jack _just_ enough information. He couldn't keep his damned mouth shut – which means he couldn't say exactly what was going on with Raimundo… But, he could give information to Jack about Kimiko that he just _knew_ the redhead would slip, whether he meant to let it out or not, the monks would know.

Charlie would go into a fit… Then when he saw Kimiko with Raimundo… And that _necklace!_ He certainly would have to applaud the brunette when the right time came – that would fuel the fire immediately. Then some of his _true_ power would be released… And from there Chase would know that it was only a matter of time before the boy came to him seeking revenge.

His story about the ying and yang wasn't forgotten, and he knew it would repeat… _over and over and over_… until the brunette teen would crack. He would come crawling to Chase for power to win her back – to impress her… Of course, the story the dragonlord would feed him would be different – a future that would never happen, but the boy – being so hurt – would fall into the trap without hesitation.

His training, perhaps to keep him away from this path, wouldn't be enough to save him from the hate and sorrow that would allow him to be in the palm of the man's hand… But it would rather benefit Chase when training Charlie – he would already know the basics… The man would just have to help control those wicked powers that would eventually become his.

Yes, it was only a matter of time before everything started moving quickly… The first thing he had to do, was find a way to keep Kimiko in the small village they had planted themselves in…

?

"So… Kimi… What do you think the place is like that we're going to?"

She paused momentarily, admiring how the necklace looked on her, before turning to him and blinking, "I don't know… I've only had a few… weird vision things… of where I think we should be going… Most or almost all of it was stone…"

"That is kind weird…" He shrugged.

"Hey Rai?" This time she wanted his attention.

"Yeah?" He flopped down on the bed, inhaling the fresh sheets verses a few nights on the sand.

He loved the beach – but a cotton-fresh room was definitely better. The walls were a beautiful green, and there were a few bamboo plants throughout the room – one was almost as tall as the ceiling. The dresser and mirror were things they paid for – the town wasn't rich enough to put those types of things in every room… And yet – it was still insanely cheap!

"How are you gonna get home once we get to wherever we're going?" She questioned, the crease in her brow showing him how concerned she was.

"I don't suppose I'll be able to use those claws… If they belong to wherever you're going…" He sighed and shrugged, "Maybe I'll work around – get enough money to fly back to Rio."

"Well… That wouldn't be at all good…" She shook her head, "Perhaps… Maybe for gratitude of bringing me back, we could rig something up…" She gasped, suddenly flipping all the way around from where she sat, this time an excited expression splashed on her beautiful face. "What if you could stay there with us for a while!"

He grinned at her enthusiasm. To stay in China for a while would be amazing! Of course, eventually he would have to get home… But maybe before going back to his family, he could pick up a few trinkets for everyone, and a story here and there to tell at bonfires at his home.

"Alright it's settled… We'll make a plan for me to stay for a while!" He nodded determined, and both of them grinned, before embracing each other in a hug.

Things were going better than what Kimiko planned, but as she thought about Raimundo her head went fuzzy and she fell back on the bed.

"_Kimiko!"_ The voice seemed so far away as her world went black…

?

**A/N: WOW It's been a long time since I've done a CLIFF hanger!**

**Lol, if you like it, review and tell me if you want me to continue. Otherwise, I might not… I dunno lol :) But I hope you enjoyed anyways!**

**-zesty-**


	8. Chapter 7: Crash

**When The Wind Blows**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Xiaolin Showdown or any of its characters.**

**A/N: Another painfully long time between updates… I was inspired by one reviewer – Half-Demon-Cali… Thanks for pushing me to chug along with this chapter (even though it's been a while since your review)**

**Chapter 7: Crash**

"_Kimiko! It's just _one_ date!" He stared at her, hazel eyes hard. "And the village isn't even that far away!"_

_She shook her head, "Charlie, I've told you before… I'm not interested in dating a team mate…"_

"_Why?" He demanded, suddenly angry._

"_Because…" She narrowed her eyes – she didn't like being called out, and _yelled_ at for a simple belief, "I just don't do it! It'd be like dating an employee at work… or a family member… Too bad of news."_

"_Can we go as friends?" He pushed._

_This time, she glared at him, "Can you please leave me alone?"_

"_Not until you agree to go out with me… At least one date – friends or more, I don't care! Just please!"_

"_Why is this so important to you?" She snapped, brushing through her most recent new hair color – strawberry blonde. "Can't you just take no for an answer, and leave it at that?"_

"_No… I'm stubborn, and I like you." She allowed a flicker of a smile on her face, and turned to him with a sigh._

"_If it's one date… just _one_ date, will you promise to lay off? I don't like the weird looks I get from Clay and Omi when you so obviously _let_ me win at every training practice."_

"_Cross my heart," he grinned, doing the motion._

"_Where did you say we were going?" She questioned, turning back to the mirror and staring at his reflection through it._

"_It's just at that small little village not too far away from here…" He nodded, "There's one small restaurant there –"_

"_The food better not suck!" She warned, setting her brush down, and beginning to pin up an awkward hairstyle. He flinched when her ends stood up like peacock feathers._

"_It won't! I'll be sure of it… Be ready in ten minutes!" He zipped out of her room before she could protest that 'that wasn't enough time!' and she sighed._

Did I just make a huge mistake?_ She pondered, tilting her head and staring at herself in the mirror, playing with a small piece of hair that didn't seem to want to stay in place._

_?_

She shot up and glanced around. Raimundo was lounging on the bed, taking a short cat nap, and seemed to be at complete ease with the eerie silence of the room.

"Rai!" She leapt off of her bed and flung herself on top of him, shaking him to a possible near death. "Rai! Wake up! There's an emergency!"

He mumbled something, swatting around in the air and knitting his eyebrows together, before she growled and snatched his hand, squeezing it as hard as she could. This caused his emerald eyes to pop open.

"Ow!" He yelped, "That hurt, Girl!" But he stopped when he noticed the girl straddling him, an angry look on her face. "Why does this picture look so much more than PG?"

She suddenly glanced down at herself and blushed, "Oh…" She murmured, leaning off of him, "Wake up! I just had a dream!"

"Was it one of those visions?" He asked, trying to look anywhere but there, making the subject about something else, than the awkward position she still wasn't entirely moving out of.

"Yeah! We need to stay here! I have this _feeling_ that we're close to the place we need to be! And we _have_ to stay here!"

"Hm…" He suddenly sat up, and she meeped while falling off the bed completely, stumbling over herself in embarrassment. He ignored her (for now. The teasing would come later), and spoke, "Well… We'll have to stay here a few nights and do some talking – see if there's anything around here…"

"I know it doesn't _look_ like there is…" She suddenly grinned, "We'll find something!"

"Yeah!" He high fived her and smirked, rolling back onto the bed. "Now if you'll excuse me… I was having such a wonderful dream –"

"You can't go back to bed yet!" She whined, "What am I going to do in the meantime!"

"I don't know…" He shrugged, "Go out and walk around."

"Come with me!" She insisted, tugging on his hand. He sighed, knowing if he declined, she would never let him have any peace.

"Fine." She whooped and then ran out of the room, dragging the unfortunate brunette behind her.

?

"I can't believe you actually _invited_ me here!" He squeaked, his crimson eyes darting around – taking in every small detail he never could because he was too busy trying not to get thrown out.

Chase almost groaned, though suppressed it (barely). He wondered if he had made a mistake in bringing Jack here… But then figured he was the best bet to not make the monks suspicious. If it was Chase going to for a Shen-Gong-Wu – they would know something was up…

"Oh my god! The cats are so cute when they don't attack me!" He gushed, weaving his fingers together and batting his eyelashes a little.

The dragon-lord shuttered, "Don't push your luck, Spicer," he warned, keeping a steady pace.

"So why _did_ you bring me here, Chase?" The boy grinned, his lips pulling into a smile.

Chase picked up a presence, but didn't have to glance to see a seething Wuya, angry that Jack was being put to more use than her, and worse yet… Getting more attention from Chase.

"Here's the deal, Spicer…" He hissed, suddenly turning on him, and stalking him down until he was cowering away. It was always good to frighten Jack into a distance. "The Dragon of Fire is in Koyo Village with the _real_ Dragon of Wind."

Jack's head tilted, as he didn't comprehend the vitality of that statement, "They already have a Dragon of Wind."

"He's not it."

"How could they mistake that?"

"I don't know how," He snipped, "but Charlie Vatmore is not the real Dragon of Wind."

"But how do you know?"

"…"

"Can you _prove_ it?" Suddenly, a great roar escaped the being, and he snatched Jack up and slammed him against the wall, holding him a few feet from the ground by the collar of his jacket. Suddenly, Wuya wasn't so jealous.

"_Just listen to me!"_ He snarled, eyes flaring with fire.

"Meep." Was the only thing Jack could say back.

"There is a Shen-Gong-Wu that I know is going to activate, and Wuya wants it," The sorceress perked up at hearing her name, "So bring it to me…" He narrowed his eyes, "I want you to lure the monks into the city, and have them meet up with the Dragon of Fire. I want to reunite them…"

He had to resist the urge of rolling his eyes at Spicer's confused look.

"I wasn't even aware that she –"

A low growl ripped from the man's throat, and Jack snapped his jaw shut. The eerie silence stilled the air, and the redheaded woman glanced from both men, awaiting the next piece of information to fall.

"_Just do it._"

"So… Drag the monks into this village using a Shen-Gong-Wu, and make sure they find Kimiko?" He tilted his head, confusion still plastered on his face.

Chase knew he would regret the words he next spoke, "Use your… genius skills, Spicer." Stars grew in the teenager's eyes, and the dragon lord flinched, throwing him onto the ground and stepping calmly back.

"I will _definitely_ be doing that!" He jumped up, and activated his helipack, before grinning smugly at Wuya, and lifting into the air.

"Spicer." He turned, crimson eyes locking with gold, "Don't tell them what I told you about the Dragon of Wind…"

"No problem!" Jack soluted, and few from the room, the warrior cats chasing him to make sure he left.

They heard a girlish scream echo off the tall walls, and after a few more moments, Chase knew he had gone.

"You've made a big mistake…" The voice bristled Chase's body with anger, almost more than the statement did.

"Explain," he spoke, turning and casting his death glare upon the woman. "how _I_ have made a mistake, that _you_ seemed to catch."

She tried to stay steady, but began to waver under his gaze, so she turned around, clasping her hands behind her back, and flicking her hair over her shoulder. "It's obvious isn't it? Jack is _going_ to tell them… Maybe it's because I've worked with him a lot longer than you have but –"

"Oh I know."

Her confidence seemed to melt. "What?"

"I know that Spicer is going to tell them… It's the exact reason I told him…" A grin stretched onto his face, showing his pearly white teeth, as a new glint fell into his golden eyes. "It's exactly what I want…"

?

"Guys!" All three of them turned to see the gecko-size Dojo slithering towards them with a certain twitch. "Shen-Gong-Wu alert!" His eye flinched as he pulled out the scroll and opened it.

The small figure inside demonstrated what it did. "It's called the Mirror of Façade: the user can present themselves as something different to whoever stands in their path…"

"We can't go for the Wu!" Clay, Omi, and Dojo stared, bewildered, at the brunette, "We have to keep looking for Kimiko!"

"She's not going to go anywhere," Dojo tried to convince him, only to have hazel eyes narrow into slits and bore into him.

"Kim's strong, she's gonna know what to do in a rough situation," Clay nodded, tipping his hat, "Let's getta goin', Dojo!"

He supersized, and the dragons of earth and water boarded hastily.

"You must come with us! We need you too!" Omi tried to tell him, but he only grumbled, slowly getting onto Dojo's back, before the dragon hastily took off.

"So where is this Shen-Gong-Wu?" Charlie asked when they had been in the air for only seconds.

"Actually," Dojo turned his head and grinned, "It's pretty close to home… Dashi and I figured we'd keep this one close, incase something arose."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh… nothing in particular," Dojo said honestly; he shrugged, "It was Dashi's idea… ask him!"

"But we cannot –" Clay put a hand on Omi's shoulder and shook his head solemnly.

"Don't even try to understand that one, partner…"

?

"I see it!" The brunette yelled, taking off at a dead sprint. He was by far the fastest out of the four, and quickly reached the small object. "Wow, I always thought it would be bigger…" Shaking his head, he placed a hand on it, only to watch the object glow.

He growled, _there isn't time for this!_ "Charlie! I challenge you to a Xiaolin Showdown!"

He narrowed his eyes once more, anger bubbling up inside of him. It was doing that a lot lately, but dammit, he just wanted Kimiko back, "Name your game, Jack!"

He looked around, and grinned, pointing into the distance, "Do you see that village over there?"

"Yeah…"

"It's a race – the first to get there wins!"

He rolled his eyes at the originality of the showdown, and turned from the village, back to the albino redhead.

"My Fist of Tebigong against your Tangle Web Comb!"

"You're on, Spicer!" He growled, pulling out the comb and glancing at it. He had had trouble with it the last few weeks, and he was nervous about using it.

Sucking in a breath, he mustered his confidence as the scenery began to change. Large chunks of earth began to fall out, so only stepping stones, large enough for half a foot, remained. Suddenly, the race to the village seemed a lot longer, and far more difficult.

What was worse, was that clouds began ominously building over the arena, and not long after, droplets of rain began to pour down on them. He watched at the surface of the stepping stones became sleek, and gulped.

Out of nowhere, Jack yelled, "Gong Yi Tampai!" And was already off. After shouts of encouragement from his teammates, Charlie began the race too.

"What's the matter, Spicer?" The brunette smirked, "Can't use your helipack for this one? Can't _cheat_ for once!" He jumped and flipped over the redhead who was trying, steadily, to make his way across, and landed on a stepping stone, almost falling from the rain.

"What's the matter, Vatmore?" This time, it was the redhead's turn, "Can't use your wind power for this? Can't use it, because you don't truly possess it!" He laughed and easily pinpointed his next four jumps, putting him in the lead.

Charlie stopped, dumbfounded. Even Jack was saying things like that now? Growling he attempted his luck at the tangle web comb, aiming straight for Jack. Cheering as the web got closer, he suddenly gasped, mid jump, when the Wu backfired on him.

Jack cackled in the distance as he ran forward, Charlie stumbling to jump with the web attached around him.

"Complete focus, Charlie!" Omi was yelling at him.

His anger flared once again, and he wanted to shout at the damn kid to shut up. But this only ruined his focus further, and he fell onto the next stone, the sleek surface ramming into his stomach. As he watched Jack move towards the finish a few moments later, his fist of Tebigong crumbling bridges for him, he felt his body slide off the edge.

As he fell, he closed his eyes and tried to let go of his anger. He was furious that nobody was this upset about Kimiko's disappearance… He was upset that people were no longer telling him he was the Xiaolin Dragon of Wind… He was confused as to why all of this was happening to him.

As he had earlier expected, the fall never came as he landed on the ground on his back, staring up at the once again nice weather. The comb's hair was still around him, and quickly Omi took it and removed him from the tangled web.

Clay growled as Jack activated his helicopter, a further way down the path. "You guys could deal with me even IF you had Kimiko and the other guy!"

"What other guy?" Charlie demanded, not making sense of all of these strange things.

"The Dragon of Wind!" He suddenly realized what he had been gloating about all this time, and clapped a hand over his mouth. "Shit…" He mumbled, and began to fly, fleeing the scene.

Charlie would not be blown off, however, and chased after him, despite the cries of objection from his friends. Stumbling forward, he followed Jack down the path, as the town grew bigger in front of them.

His heart was in his throat as he pounded forward, the sun's rays splashing between the shadows of the leaves. People were moving slowly and peacefully in and out of the village, and watched them with long stares as they chased each other about.

Jack navigated past some buildings, not really knowing where he was going. Chase's orders were still in effect, even though he had screwed up a very crucial point of the mission. _Maybe Chase won't notice…_ He thought optimistically.

He could hear the monks behind him, and tried to pick up the speed, glancing nervously over his shoulder as Charlie gained on him. Unfortunately, he turned back around too late, and rammed right into someone.

This someone grunted and slid back, falling to the ground, the second person with him crumpling into the dirt. The monks skid to a stop, and Jack laid on his back, staring at the clouds lazily rolling through the sky.

"_Kimiko!_" Charlie gasped, running forward.

Then something very unexpected happened…

She stepped behind a man, no older than Charlie himself, as he shot an arm out to protect her. His piercing emerald eyes held Charlie's own hazel ones with determination and pride, with street smarts that the European would never know.

"Who are you?" Charlie demanded, eyes narrowing into slits.

The boy straightened up, towering over the brunette, and with a lopsided grin, answered, "Raimundo Pedrosa… Who are _you_?"

?

**A/N: Well jeez that took me a long time to write… Sorry if it was kind of sucky – at the moment, I'm trying to focus on more plot than I am actual writing skills… :) So I'm really on a Xiaolin Showdown kick thanks to:**

**Spiral-Fire's **_**Watching & Waiting**_** fic… Go read it - by far amazing! :) Hope you enjoyed!**

**-zesty-**


	9. Chapter 8: Truth

**When the Wind Blows**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Xiaolin Showdown or any of its characters.**

**A/N: Thanks for those who stick with me I love you guys! I'm sorry it takes me so long to update this story!**

**Chapter 8: Truth**

Chase Young watched the scene play out in his mind, and a sort of feral smile overtook his features. His golden eyes glimmered with mischief, and he waved his head warrior cat over to him.

The cat purred darkly, until his master faced him, "Get a room ready for Charlie, I know he'll be here in the next few days and we would like to feel… prepared…"

As the feline padded away, he turned his attention back to the orb. The scene was going perfectly, and it was good to know he planted all of this.

Ahhh yes, his glorious plan. He'd known all along that Charlie wasn't right for the job, and spent endless hours, hidden away from the monk's existence, to find the new one. And once he'd found Raimundo Pedrosa on the streets of Rio, he made himself known to the Dragons.

He studied Charlie, watching his abilities. His skills with wind were weak, and failing, but the fact that it worked at all with no explanation proved his _magic_ was seeping over. And this power was going to be amazing on the Heylin Side!

Chase watched as he slowly fell for Kimiko, protecting her and trying to impress her in every way that he could – but to no avail. And why wouldn't she be attracted to him? Because fate willed the Dragon of Wind and Fire together – generation after generation, that's simply how things worked…

His magic showed him what could have happened with the _real_ Dragon of Wind – what could have been, and what shouldn't have been, etc… And with even further spells, he could implant it in the mind of the Fire Dragon to create havoc, and turn someone with the potential to be an excellent fighter, and skilled mage over to the Heylin side.

His burst of blue that had hit Kimiko in the very beginning of this stage of the plan had knocked her memories clean, giving Chase full control of what she saw and what she didn't. That was his plan – to show her some of Raimundo, and some of Charlie, purely to confuse her, but in the end, let her figure it out for herself that the Brazilian was the one he was supposed to be with – in alliance and love…

In the end though, none of the Dragons would concern him anymore… Once Charlie was heartbroken enough – betrayed by the girl, he would seek Chase out. Chase would train him, get him acquainted with his skills, and then plant the seed of revenge in Charlie's mind, and nurse it until it was fully grown, and Omi, Clay, Raimundo, and Kimiko were gone… _for good_… So that all that was left was for Chase to take over the world. Then he could get rid of Wuya _and_ Jack!

It was completely flawless…

?

Charlie decided to ignore the other brunette's statement of who he was, _and_ his mirrored question.

Hazel eyes turning quickly onto Kimiko, he searched her physical being to see if she was hurt. "Kimiko!" He spoke again, slowly.

"Do you know him, Kim?" Raimundo asked, still holding an arm protectively in front of her.

Anger flared in the other teen. How dare that stranger call her that, and how dare he pretend he was protecting her! He took her away from them and had them worrying sick for _days_! But when she started to slowly shake her head is when all of his anger melted away.

"I don't…" She began slowly, "know if I do…" Biting her lip, she looked as though she had crushed the three standing before her. Pushing out from behind Raimundo, they were even more shocked to see that he didn't stop her.

A ginger hand pointed to Clay and Omi, "You two are everywhere…"

"Huh?" They both tilted their heads to the side, confusion striking their expressions.

"In all of the flashes, or flashbacks or whatever… In the flashbacks with Raimundo, and with Charlie, you're both there…" She decided then, and nodded her head, "Omi and Clay, right?"

A collective sigh was heard from her team, when they realized she wasn't completely gone.

Charlie made another advance and touched her arm, "What happened to you, Kimiko?"

She flinched away, and his face distorted with anger as he turned on the brunette. "What did you do to her?!" he demanded, rage building in his chest, ready to burst.

He pushed passed the girl and she stumbled, causing everyone's eyes to go to her. Regaining her balance quickly, she grabbed Charlie's shoulder and wheeled him around, fire evident in her own eyes. "What is your problem?!" She snarled.

"Where have you been!" It wasn't much of a question, "I've been worried sick about you!"

"I don't even hardly _know_ you!" She shrieked, "Stop acting like you control me!"

"She sure hasn't lost her fire," Clay murmured to the monk next to him, who nodded in agreement.

"How can you say that?!" He yelled at her, placing his hands firmly on her shoulders and shaking her.

"Stop!" Raimundo yelled, leaping forward and ripping them apart. "Both of you! Stop!" Kimiko sucked in a breath and held it, while Charlie tried to advance on the Brazilian. Just who did he think he was!

"The guy's right," Clay threw in, shocking the English teen, "We need to cool our heads and listen to what the lil' lady has to say…"

Hesitantly, all eyes landed on Kimiko as she let go of her breath slowly. "My memory was swiped…" She glared as everybody tried to speak. "Through flashbacks I find out parts of my past… But there's a catch," there's a hint of hysteria in her voice as her eyes sting, betraying her wall of bravery. "I see him," she pointed at Charlie, "But then again I see him…" Kimiko turned her gesture towards Raimundo and shook her head. "Both feel like memories… and yet, Raimundo has never met me…" She shook her head, unable to continue for the time being.

Everyone was quiet, not quite sure what to say. It was Omi who spoke first. "I believe perhaps we should see Master Fung."

?

His eyes were closed for a very long time, all five of the teenagers sitting ever so patiently in front of him. Every once in a while, someone would open their mouth to speak, but he would slowly raise a hand to stop them.

Now, each and every one of them was biting a lip or holding a tongue simply to stop the words from leaking out.

After what seemed like a life time, his icy eyes appeared once again, with a sort of tenderness as his eyes swept over his students… _all_ of his students.

"I believe the first and foremost, most important, I should address Kimiko…"

She sat a little straighter, "Your memories of Charlie, Omi, and Clay are true… Any memories concerning people who are not apart of this temple are also true…" He nodded.

She glanced at Raimundo while everyone else was heaving a sigh of relief, "What about him?"

"That is where this gets confusing, even for myself…"

She chewed on her lip, trying to be patient.

He didn't lose his posture, but some part of him seemed to slouch in despair. "These flashes of a life with this young man who had never met you before, are part of a very intricate destiny, laid out for the four Dragons of the Elements… Wind, fire, water, and earth…"

"What does that mean?" Clay asked, eyes glancing at the four people sitting next to him.

"Do you not feel a certain closeness to Raimundo, Omi and Clay, though you have never met him before?"

Both stared at the Brazilian for a long time, wondering, waiting. Omi was the first who had to look away, but Clay continued to study his face. "And do you not, Raimundo, also feel this bond even though it has just begun to form?"

He shrugged, "Yeah, but… It was the same with Kimiko… I thought it was just that she was a cool girl…"

Their teacher let on a small smile, "Why she may be this girl you speak of, there is a bond between you because all four of your destinies are intertwined."

"I do not understand," Omi shook his head, eyes dim with haze.

"Raimundo is supposed to be the Dragon of Wind."

A collective gasp was heard, and all eyes swiveled to this boy. He shrank back, unable to speak, and yet the first to respond. "I think you've got the wrong guy…"

"Indeed the temple made a mistake those fine years ago when they summoned Charlie to the temple…"

Nobody could miss the anger on that particular brunette's face.

"You have been brought here for reasons unknown, but you have found each other because destiny wills it… You four are connected as the rightful heirs to this power…"

"But what of Charlie?" Kimiko asked, and he visibly calmed when he realized she had not forgotten him. "If he can still do some wind based attacks like you said when I was explaining my story, doesn't that mean he has a part in this too?"

"It is true that Charlie has a great deal of power… but he has been using it all wrong this whole time. He is not a Dragon of the Elements…" Fung shook his head, "He is a mage…"

Charlie scoffed, "I don't believe you for a moment."

"It is your choice if you choose to believe or not…" Master Fung rose, and began to pace, pulling out an array of scrolls. "Kimiko, before you lost your memory, you were still here, in these green fields, correct?"

She nodded, "At least, I think so… Everything is still so hazy…"

He opened one scroll, "Chase Young cast a blue magic spell on you…" He shook his head in bitterness, "The energy was absorbed into you, and feeds off of your memory. Once they are gone, it gives the user control of your memory…"

Five jaws slackened – four in disbelief, one in shock. Raimundo was having a hard time processing all of this information.

"These memories you see with Raimundo… They are what would have happened, had he come to the temple when he was supposed to…"

She sat up straight with a small peep and blushed furiously. He knew all of the details of her visions as well, and tried to casually look everywhere but at her. Charlie narrowed his eyes, but for the time being, said nothing.

"I do not know why Chase Young decided to bring both of you back to us… But he has, and now I feel we should put this to the best of our advantages…" He nodded slowly as his students rose. "We have a small counter spell exquisitely for Dragons, Kimiko, that should help you regain all knowledge of at least your element…"

She bit her lip, "No other memories?"

"For the time being…" He sighed, "I believe not…" He turned towards Raimundo, but addressed them all. "Come… it is time to train… We have much time we have to make up for…"

As Master Fung lead them out, Clay and Omi quickly caught up to Raimundo. "We are most excited to finally be completely!" Omi beamed.

"Welcome to the team, par'ner…" He tipped his hat at the brunette, who gave a healthy chuckle.

Charlie, walking behind the rest of the group, and Kimiko being absent, suddenly felt the weight of what they had discovered.

_I wish Kimiko hadn't come back…_

His eyes fluttered open in astonishment at that unconscious thought. Why would he say such a thing? He should be happy… He could focus now on training that suited him, Kimiko was here, and the team was going to be more powerful than ever with their final guy!

But as he watched these friends of his slowly connect with the missing puzzle piece, he felt abandoned and left out…

That's why he wished she hadn't come back…

Because she brought that scumbag who was about to steal his life with her…

?

**A/N: After a very long time, and lots of coaxing from very special, sporatic reviewers of this story, I have finally given you an update with some ANSWERS!**

**Let me know if you liked it, and if I should continue, because due to my poor updating abilities, I just don't know about this story yet.**

**:D**

**-zesty-**


	10. Chapter 9: Run

**When The Wind Blows**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Xiaolin Showdown or any of its characters.**

**A/N: Well, it's happening… I'm hell bent on finishing this story since everyone seems to like it so much! Thank you all for the support :D I will try and do regular updates, but I can't promise anything.**

**Chapter 9: Run**

"Starting back with the basics…" Charlie mumbled, irritated as he watched Raimundo stand, clueless as to what to do. Even _Charlie_ could do this stuff… He grimaced when he remembered (and grudgingly reminded himself, though he'd never admit it) that he couldn't do it _well_, but still…

"You have missed a few years of training, young one…" Master Fung nodded to the boy who stood with an apologetic shrug. "But I feel you will progress faster, now that you're older…"

He went through a few trivial things like battle stances, and some basic tai chi – something that Raimundo was already good at. He beamed when he was showered with surprised praise, and Charlie was slowly admitting (again though he wouldn't admit it) that this kid was _good._

"I think he's as good as you were when you first started, Omi!" They all turned to a laughing Kimiko who waved as she stepped forward, a brand new set of Xiaolin robes, and her hair up in signature pig tails.

"Kimiko!" The youngest on the team bounded towards her, eyes wide, "You remember?"

"Like I said," she waved him off, "bits and pieces… I definitely remember your enthusiasm, and let's not forget how you think you're better than everyone else…" She giggled as the big headed kid blushed, and she put her hand on his head. "But it's okay…"

Charlie stared at her, feeling as though she had changed. Or maybe she hadn't changed, but the weight of these answers, and feelings, and stresses of being a Dragon were no longer hers – or at least – not remembered yet. Maybe she was just back to being the carefree girl he had once met, and completely fallen for.

Though instead of turning and smiling at him, she moved her attention towards the Brazilian teenager dodging multiple attacks from Master Fung.

"He's good," she nodded in approval, and grinned when he landed a hit on their mentor.

Clay and Omi whooped, while Charlie balled his hand into a tight fist.

Master Fung straightened, and actually let out a small laugh, "Very good!" At that point, he caught sight of Kimiko. "Ahh yes, just the girl I was waiting for…" He turned back to the brunette, "Have a seat and take a well earned rest…"

Kimiko stepped forward and bowed to him, "Thank you for doing all of this, Master Fung…"

He let on another tender smile, and nodded, taking out a Shen Gong Wu, "Do you remember?" He questioned, knowing she would understand his meaning.

"I think so…" She shook her head hastily, "But I'm probably going to be pretty rusty…"

"You may also be stronger…" He nodded to her, "Have you had any memory of attacks that you have done with the Dragon of Wind?"

She glanced back, conflicted as to who he was speaking of. "Raimundo," He answered for her. She nodded as she tried to bring the memories forward.

"Fight with your destined style – not the one you have learned." She recollected the memories she had regained from the potion, and the bits and pieces – more than she recalled remembering (thanks to Chase's ever watchful eye) – from her past with Raimundo, and slipped into an altered fighting stance.

While the one she had learned with Charlie around had been firm and planted into the ground, this was flickery – almost like a dancer. She was poised like a crane ready to swipe down on his prey, one foot planted on the ground, the other tightly pulled upward. One arm out, and the other above her, and everyone blinked in surprise at her choice.

"Let us begin…" He summoned powers of water to him, using a Wu she wasn't familiar with.

As the icy water shot towards her like a bullet, she swiped low to the ground and somersaulted away. Springing back up as though she'd never been on the ground, she spun with an intricate system of movements and blasted her own fire at the attack.

She gasped, momentarily stunned. It was one thing to see herself doing this in memory, but another entirely to see it in live action. A smile smiled cracked on her lips, and she flexed her fingers, wanting to see more fire.

A change in hue of the metallic artifact her mentor was using, and suddenly ice was surrounding her, threatening to cave in around her. Out of pure instinct, Kimiko collapsed into herself, and spun, sending a wave of fire around her. A circle began around her body and slowly increased, engulfing the ice and melting it into tiny sprouts of steam.

Everyone was cheering for her, clearly impressed with her newfound abilities.

"Well done Kimiko!" Omi cheered and danced around a little. Clay tipped his hat at her, and Charlie mumbled a congratulations.

"Now, I would like to try something…" They all glanced up in surprise as Master Fung ushered Kimiko and Raimundo into the ring.

"What's going on?" Raimundo asked, tilting his head, hair ruffling in the wind.

"You two will spar against each other." Kimiko's eyes bulged and she glanced at her newfound comrade.

"What? But he can barely –"

"If he trusts his instincts, I believe we will see results…"

He laughed and threw a hand behind his head, scratching it sheepishly, and throwing a hand up in a half shrug, "I kind of have always been good at that –" Kimiko socked him in the stomach, causing him to groan. "Damn girl, stop _hitting_ me!"

She only smiled and moved across the ring, bowing to him as he hesitantly did the same.

"Ready?" She called.

"I'm totally betting on her kicking his ass," Charlie said bitterly…

"I feel like he's gon' surprise us…" Clay nodded, causing Charlie to roll his eyes. Something about them sticking up for Raimundo was really pissing him off.

"Ready!" He called with a grin.

They both slipped into a stance, and suddenly, Kimiko puffed in a breath, and slowly blew out fire, though it shot at her opponent almost faster than he could blink. He dodged – just barely, and sucked in a breath, eyes wide.

She danced with him around the ring, both circling each other – the Japanese girl like a panther ready to strike. Soon she was up in the air, kicking and creating a tunnel of fire. His eyes widened when he realized he couldn't get out of the way fast enough.

_You've got the wrong guy…_ He shook his head, as he watched his death come closer. _I'm not who you want me to be…_

He felt a certain power well in him – one that he hadn't felt before. He'd always had a special connection to the wind – but this – this was different. _They _do_ have the right guy… _With a very powerful breath, he blew a gust of wind towards the girl, splaying her fire all around the ring in dots.

Jumping up with the momentum of his attack, he clapped his hands together as a wave of air washed over her. A tornado slowly started, and she found herself, with such little weight, being drawn towards it.

She switched stances, and planted herself into the ground, shooting fire into the very bricks of where she stood, as though lacing her to the spot. It helped slow her down, but didn't stop her. She flickered small fires around the tornado, and so much wind helped feed them. Soon, she blocked it in, hoping she had enough strength to stop it where it stood.

Raimundo pushed his own attack as well. He felt himself trying to wield more powerful sources, but then got an idea. He cut off the tornado, allowing it to feed on the fire, and continue at its own rate, and ran around the ring. With Kimiko distracted, he let out a war cry, and slid into her, knocking her off of her feet.

The fire was sucked into the tornado, as he leapt onto her being. She stopped him with petite feet and flung him backwards, but summoning his element, he was able to calmly fall in slow motion, flipping a few times solely to show off.

She grinned as she pushed herself off the ground. "You're pretty good… for a beginner…" She shot another attack at him, that he barley dodged.

"I could say the same about you!" He called back with a laugh, "For not remembering!" He taunted, and threw his own attack in her direction.

She snarled in irritation and threw a wave of fire in his direction. It caught up in his wind attack, and both dissipated together. They were left staring at each other – exhaustion catching up to them, before each cracked a smile.

Raimundo walked forward, and Kimiko began to mirror his movements. Charlie watched in horror as the girl – his very last defense on this team – moved towards his new enemy.

When they were close enough, she cocked her head to the side, remembering.

?

"_Way to go, Rai!" She ran up to him, jumping into his arms, and kissing him on the cheek. Raimundo laughed and grinned, trying not to blush. The rest of his team surrounded him, and she watched from within his grasp as the others congratulated him as well._

_When he finally put her down, she took in the looks of his new robes. It was amazing that he was chosen leader, after all this time, and he watched as Omi approached him, and acknowledged him _finally_, after everything that had happened._

_As the youngest of them all, and the unofficial leader, he glanced up at Raimundo a wide grin on his face, and suddenly it was as though everything were right…_

_Kimiko smiled a little, and cocked her head to the side as the brunette turned towards her. Things were going to be okay._

?

She stuck out her hand and glanced up at him, sapphire meeting emerald it almost seemed, for the first time. "Welcome to the team…"

Something between playful and tender crossed his face, dancing in his lively eyes, before he clasped his hand in hers, a silent conversation sweeping over them and only them. But to Charlie, it was all too loud and clear.

Before anything more could be said, he turned swiftly on his heel, scoffed, and stormed away. Omi and Clay shifted, confused and wondering if they should follow him, while Kimiko and Raimundo stayed in their own little world.

?

"Charlie, come out!" The banging on the door was louder than ever, and her frantic voice bounced off the walls of the room.

He knew that the voice belonged to his sweet Kimiko – the girl he had fallen for hard and fast… And yet, the piercing image of her taking _his_ hand enraged him. He tried to drown it all out, throwing another valuable against the ancient walls, shattering it.

_How dare she?!_ His thoughts stampeded forward. _How dare them?! How could they just let this… this STRANGER _–he threw another priceless vase against the wall, satisfied as a million tiny shards scattered into the air and all over the ground- _into their life so _freely_ without even wondering where he came from or who he is?!_

He snarled at nothing as he continued to boil. _Just because _Kimiko_ said so?! No! This must still be part of Chase's spell! Pedrosa is going to murder us in our sleep! He –_

Charlie stopped altogether, anger vanishing as though it were never there. He took a good long look around the room he had just demolished – many pieces of the Xiaolin history gone forever, because of his anger. It's not Charlie's _fate_ to be the Dragon of Wind, but it _is_ Raimundo's…

Chase's words that seemed so long ago suddenly echoed through his mind again. It's like Chase knew this was going to happen… It's like Chase was _trying_ to get Charlie angry, just so he'd go to him – seeking power…

The teenager squeezed his hazel eyes shut. He couldn't do that… No matter how angry or betrayed or hurt he was, he would never join Chase – that would mean the destruction of everything he held dear. He wouldn't let the dragon lord get a hold of him.

"Charlie…" the voice moaned, pleading welling to the point that it almost hurt.

He turned sadly to the door, unsure of what to do. Should he open it? Should he stay behind it, or try to fix his wrong doings? Should he apologize? Or should… he just run?

Could he run?

"I could still check up on them…" He whispered to himself, so quiet as to not let the audience behind the thick door hear him. "Every once in a while, but stay in hiding… Stay in hiding so that I know nothing that happens will make me go to Chase… This will be for the good of everyone…"

He tried to wrack his brain for an escape plan. Almost everyone in the temple was surrounding this area, trying to find a way in to calm Charlie down. What had they recently done in this room? What could he possibly _do_?

Then it clicked…

Only the day before the attack, they had been playing hide and go seek with Clay's hat – each person trying to hide it from the blonde. It had always been a favorite game, though the cowboy wasn't too fond of it. He muddled around, irritated and distraught, feeling naked without his hat.

Omi had been cleverly hiding in this very room with the Shroud of Shadows, the hat cradled in his lap. Clay went pounding into the room, Kimiko and himself desperately trying to stop him – to make sure he didn't truly murder Omi.

They all thought they were for sure done for, until Dojo slithered in – almost like a God – and announced a very important Wu had revealed itself. Omi flung the Shroud off of his body, politely put the hat back on Clay's head, and made a beeline for the door, exclaiming they must not waste time, and get to the Wu. Everyone had completely abandoned the game…

Frantically, Charlie threw blankets upon blankets off of the many couches and chairs in this sitting room. He threw scrolls around the room, and almost came to the point of tipping over bookcases before he saw it peeking out from its hiding place behind the chair.

"Of course…" he murmured, still conscious of the pounding in the background of his plan. "Right where Omi had hid…" He threw the fabric over himself, and whispered its name, before escaping out the window.

He crept to the vault – stealth seemingly on his side tonight. He would run… he would become a past memory. His heart ached when he realized he wouldn't be able to be with Kimiko and his friends anymore… but this was to keep them safe… It had to be done…

His mind flashed, as he dug in the vaults for the Golden Tiger Claws, back to his tantrum in the sitting room. That's the exact violence that Chase wanted him to acknowledge and feed. Charlie wasn't going to let that happen.

Slipping the claws onto his hand, and feeling the warmth of the fur, he sucked in a breath. "Golden Tiger Claws!" He yelled, and then jumped into the portal, feeling the familiar heaviness as the Shoud and himself were sucked through.

Just like that, Charlie was gone…

?

**A/N: I have to say I'm proud of myself… Though I won't be posting this for a little while, I managed to sit down and write this all in one day…**

**Well kids, you have definitely motivated me :D I now have a direction for this story (even though I always claim I have one, and then forget it due to the long gaps between updates) but this one is relatively simple, and lots of people seem to still be liking the story.**

**How about this?**

**You keep leaving me comments, and I'll keep updating… sound like a go? :D Love you all! Thanks for sticking with me!**

**-zesty-**


	11. Chapter 10: Hate

**When The Wind Blows**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Xiaolin Showdown or any of its characters.**

**A/N: Last chapter definitely took a realistic turn that I did NOT plan haha! I don't remember much about this story, but what I do remember was that that was definitely not what was supposed to happen.**

**I'm sorry it's been so long… I don't think I've ever been this busy in my life!**

**Chapter 10: Hate**

She stared up at the ceiling, wondering and waiting, hoping sometime soon she'd wake up and this nightmare would just be over.

She wished everything could go back to normal.

Closing her eyes, a horrible thought washed over her being, locking her up and making her uneasy.

"But what's normal?" She whispered out loud to herself, unsure of everything. Who would normally be here with her? Charlie? Or Raimundo?

Obviously from what she had been told, it would be the British boy, but her heart ached when she thought of Raimundo not being there – never even knowing who he is.

There was a light knock, and she tilted her head to the left, getting an awkward view of the person standing before her. She could barely see Raimundo over the fluff of her blanket around her, her head craning to make out the face under that unruly hair of his.

"Hey…" He said softly, tilting his head.

"Hi…" She whispered back, almost too scared to speak louder.

"You okay?"

"Any news?" She shot back right away, as though his answer would affect hers.

He sighed and sat down on the bed, slowly shaking his head. "We haven't been able to find those tiger claws, that shroud, or Charlie…"

She groaned. Though not having Charlie there with them didn't give her the same ache as the thought of Raimundo not being there, it left an awful dread in her stomach. "This is all my fault…"

"Don't say that…" The brunette shook his head, "It's all just a big mess."

She rose her eyebrow, "Since when are you so mature?"

He mirrored her expression, "When have I not been?" He laughed as her face scrunched up.

"I guess I'm mixing my flashbacks with reality…"

He shrugged, as though it didn't bother him, but she sort of wondered if it did or not. "Well if those flashes are what was _supposed_ to happen if I'd have been here the whole time, I'm sure I'm pretty much the same…"

It was Kimiko's turn to be quiet for a moment, and she turned her head so she could go back to staring at the ceiling.

"How's training been?" She questioned, closing her eyes and clasping her hands calmly over her stomach.

"Kind of rough, but fun… Fung says I'm catching on really fast…"

"You should really call him Master Fung," She corrected, not meaning to be snotty but sounding like that anyways.

To her surprise, he laughed, "Probably, but it's hard to get used to… I've only had a week to process all of this information… Give me a break…"

"I forgive you," she replied in somewhat of a stale tone.

"We'll find him, Kimi…" He nodded.

"I sure hope so… we need to set things right…"

Raimundo stood from the bed and stretched, as though he'd been there for hours in the same position next to her. "Clay's grillin', want me to save you some?"

"He's really going to eat that much?"

"I haven't even known the guy that long, and I even realize that…" He chuckled, "Or you could just come with…"

She thought about this for a moment, knowing that he would wait there until she gave him an answer.

_Let's say…_ She thought, _Charlie was never found…_ What would she do? Would she stay on that bed forever, and just have Raimundo keep saving food for her when she had no intentions of eating it?

Or did she try to slowly move forward with her life, always searching, always hoping, but never quite finding. It was a hard toss up, but in the end, she knew she couldn't lie around and wait for this half forgotten friend forever.

There were other things she needed to worry about…

Like this Chase Young character she had heard so much about.

If he really had control over her memories like the scrolls say he did, why did their supposed enemy lead Raimundo back to them, when it would complete their team? It would give them the chance to give Charlie the right kind of training so they could be faster, stronger, and just all around better.

Or worse… How was Kimiko going to get her memory back from him?

She groaned in frustration, jumping when Raimundo put a hand on her shoulder. She peered up at him like a confused child, and he smirked.

"Come on… I'll race you…"

And with those words, suddenly the world melted away, and they were back on the beaches of Rio, not really knowing each other, or about this Xiaolin power, or Heylin power, or anything really, but being together and happy and feeling alive.

She smiled and took his hand he had offered, and allowed him to hoist her up and lead her into the hall. Walking innocently as though she wouldn't race, once he fell into step next to her, she took off at a dead sprint down the hall.

"I'd like to see you catch me, Rai!" She yelled back. He cursed and dashed forward, hoping to, ineed, catch up with her.

?

Charlie's original plan of snooping around and surviving, while watching his friends grow so they could take down this evil was more exhausting than he had ever thought possible. On top of that – he hadn't quite mastered the surviving part.

Four out of the seven last days had rained, and he knew the rain pattern was awkward and peculiar looking when it hit the cloak and ran down its soaked edges, dripping into the grass. Plus, there was no food except berries out in the woods, unless he wanted to kill, but Master Fung had told them otherwise, and he didn't want to go around being a jerk just because he wasn't part of the temple anymore.

_This is silly…_ His more reasonable side offered. _You'd still be a part of the temple…_

That thought entered his mind more than once, and he found himself uncloaked and walking back to the temple, ready to take on whatever challenges came with training to be a mage, but then would stop.

Chase Young would find him.

In a haste, he put his cloak back on, and continued to sulk. He would need some more options, but right now, all he cared to see was his friends. Hopefully, they weren't too upset… Hopefully they were eating, and not spending all of their time searching for him. He prayed Kimiko wasn't hospitalized with worry yet…

He figured it was late enough in the day that training would be over, and they'd be relaxing outside while the sun lasted. Creeping ever so slowly forward, he knew he had to be careful. Omi's tiger instincts were as sharp as ever, and if he even heard a pin prick in the grass, he'd be all over Charlie's ass like a cougar on fresh meat.

Deciding to take to the trees today, he climbed upward, not too concerned about his vulnerable bottom. With his stomach growling, he reached the sturdy, higher branches, and began jumping along them, stealth his key feature as he got closer to the temple.

When he was satisfied at his distance, he settled himself onto the branch, and hung the shroud to dry out, as he laid close to the bark.

What he saw absolutely shocked him.

Clay was grilling, even _whistling_, while the monks and Master Fung sat calmly in the grass meditating, like they did every other day of the week. Omi was trying out some new water attacks on Clay's unfortunate ten gallon hat, and Kimiko and Raimundo were nowhere in sight.

He imagined that the brunette was probably trying to force feed the girl right now, just to keep her alive. He took his comfort in the fact that she was probably in so much pain, he figured the rest were trying to act normal to satisfy her.

But then the doors were thrown open, and Kimiko came flying out, whipping her head this way and that, trying to locate something. The monks all cracked an eye even though they all hummed like they were still meditating, and Clay burst into laughter at the sight of her.

Raimundo burst out the doors only a few moments later, hot on her heels as she screamed, trying to push her legs harder and faster. Omi even stopped to grin at them and shake his head, and cheered when the brunette caught the girl and tackled her to the ground.

Charlie almost shot off of his branch for a number of reasons. One, he could never tackle Kimiko, and how _dare_ this newcomer try! She was so delicate and petite, he could have hurt her… and two, said girl wasn't crying her eyes out over his disappearance.

He blinked, truly at a loss for what to do now. Nobody was even upset about the whole thing! His blood bubbled, and he tried to calm himself down by holding his breath and closing his eyes, then letting it out and sucking in a deep breath.

"Right now is their relaxation time… Maybe they're just trying to get their mind off of things…" He tried to reason.

_Dammit, they could at least _try_ to look upset!_ His thoughts snarled at him. He glared at the boy who had started this mess.

Charlie was disgusted to watch them all eat, and enjoy each other's company while he himself was miserable just trying to keep them safe. His hand slammed down on the tree branch, ruffling the leaves in all directions.

Omi's head shot up like a hound dog, and he looked around. Charlie quickly threw the shroud over himself, hoping that the Xiaolin monk hadn't caught him quick enough. Holding his breath, he waited for the icy attack, but it never came.

He visibly (if he wasn't under the Shroud of Shadows of course) relaxed, and sucked in a breath. "That was too close…"

Figuring it was time to get out of there, he found he didn't even really care… That was enough checking up on the well being of his friends for a few days… He needed to take care of himself – since they seemed to already be doing the same.

He'd sneak into the temple at night and grab his stash of money, and finally, _finally_ go into town and get himself a good meal and a warm bed… Enough with this ridiculous rain! And then, he'd think about what he would do… Would he go back to England like a kicked puppy? No explanation to his family he had _gloated_ to when he'd left the first time.

Or would he go somewhere different, start something new? He could use his power for something entirely different – nothing to do with Shen Gong Wu or any of that simple rubbish that was turning out to be far too much for him.

He scrunched up his face as his thoughts took a new direction. Chase…

Charlie groaned. Not that again… It was like the very thought – no matter how frightening or tempting it sounded (depending on his mood) – consumed all of his mind. And that really unnerved him.

But for right now, there was nothing he could do, as he slowly sulked away from the temple.

?

The warm rays engulfed him, as he took a deep breath. He'd been at the temple for nearly two weeks now, and he had to say, it was the most exhilarating experience of his life. He was doing something for people, and doing it in the best way possible – with wind manipulation…

It didn't get much cooler than that… Except of course, that Omi and Clay were great friends, got to spend a lot of time with Kimiko, the food was great, all the monks were awesome, Dojo was mostly a riot (sometimes a little annoying, but not everything could be picture perfect, right?), and life just felt _right_ here.

He was currently sitting on the blue shingled roof, the colors washed away from harsh weather and even harsher sun. The sun was creeping lower into the horizon, and he could spot the moon overhead, almost full.

"Hey Par'ner…" He glance to his left, seeing Clay walk up his own made stairs to join his new companion on the roof.

He smiled as he watched the earth silently descend back to its normal place at ground level. He supposed everyone had a different way of getting where they wanted to be.

"Hey… What brings you up here?"

"I love watchin' the sun…" He shrugged, "Mostly come up in the mornin', but at night I like it too…" His southern drawl was noticeable, but not as harsh as some of the people he'd heard on TV.

Raimundo chuckled, scratching his head. "I can't say the same I guess… I love the night time – the waves are the best…" He curled his lips into his mouth, clamping them shut with his teeth. Clay wouldn't really know what he was talking about.

He gave a soft grin, and started at the long shadows the retreating light was casting over the temple grounds. " My sister, Jessie, begged my Daddy for years to bring 'er to the beach so she could find 'erself one of them lifeguards, and get a beach tan, and all that stuff…"

Raimundo tilted his head, curious to what brought this story on. He also noticed that Clay's accent seemed brought out further when he was talking about home… Or maybe just more relaxed than when they were constantly training and talking about Heylin magic, and Charlie drama.

"He done drive us out from the dead center of Texas, even passed Grandma Lily's house – and I reckon her's was at least a hundred miles away from our house… We went straight to the edge of Texas. Instead of sand and tumble weeds and pigs, we saw palm trees, and model-lookin' people, and people ridin' them waves like a bull! Yeeha!" He laughed and shook his head, "Surfin'…" Then he turned to Raimundo, "Is that what you meant? 'Bout them waves bein' nice at night?"

Raimundo suddenly broke into a large grin. He never _ever_ thought he'd have someone from connect surfing to a memory quite like that one.

He laughed, "Yeah… That's exactly what I do at home…" He shook his head and sighed, a pang of homesickness overwhelming him. "I miss that… The beaches and the loud music and festivals…" He shook his head, "The parties and the friends and family so crowded together you could barely move…"

Clay scratched the back of his neck, "I don't suspect I'd like somethin' like that… But, I think the closest thing we got is a barn dance! That's lots of family and friends dancin' together with music… I don't suppose it's quite the same, but –"

"More or less…" Raimundo finished for him, truly touched that the blonde was making such an effort to understand. "How long have you been here at the temple? How do you stand being away from your family?"

"Well…" He thought about it for a moment, "I'm roundin' to almost eighteen now… Been here for four years – don't know how many more I will be…" He puckered his lips, then tipped his hat, glancing at the Brazilian. "I miss 'em, sure thing… But… It's the fact that I got this honor to come here, and I'm servin' them in a way that they ain't gonna know, but it don't make it any less right…"

The brunette tilted his head. He hadn't thought about it that way before.

" 'Sides… Master Fung'll let us go home and see 'em whenever we've got a break… If you give him enougn notice, yer sure to go home when you want!"

"Really?" This genuinely surprised him. "Huh…" He leaned back, letting his limbs relax on the warm tiles. "I guess I've got a lot to think about…"

"I reckon you do too, Par'ner…" He grinned though, and tipped his hat one more time. "You fit nice here though, if it counts for anything. It's a lot less…" He trailed off, looking guilty.

"Less what, Clay?"

"Angry…" But then his lips pressed into a thin line, and the brunette knew he wouldn't get anything else out of him. "Night Rai… See you bright and early as the roosters crow tomorrow mornin'!"

He chuckled and shook his head, still sprawled on the roof. "Sure…"

The cowboy left him to his devices, and he thought long and hard about this Xiaolin business. His family wouldn't miss him _too_ much… Sure, there were things that he _definitely_ needed to do at home, but he could trust his parents to take care of the kids a little more if their eldest was going to be gone… And surely Felipé was old enough now that it would all work out fine.

He didn't realize until much later how long he'd actually been sitting up there. When he rose from his lounging position, the moon was extending the light into darkness, rather than the sun.

It was a pretty bright night – the moon's light extending onto anything it could touch just as easily as the rays from the sun. A blue wash seemed to haze over everything, and he sat up, taking in everything that looked completely different in this new light, even though it was exactly the same.

That's when he heard it.

There was rustling behind the wall to his left, and out of instinct, he slunk low to the roof to examine what was there. Without releasing his breath, he waited, as still as the trees settled into the night.

And then out he came. Barely louder than a whisper, Charlie advanced into the bright clearing. Raimundo wouldn't mistake the way he held himself for _anything_ else, even though he hadn't know the British boy too long.

He thought about calling out to him, his defenses already lowered. But the way Charlie was sneaking… it didn't look like he _wanted_ to be seen back here. He looked cold and angry, and in pretty rough shape.

Raimundo knew, as bad as a vibe as he was getting right now, he needed to be civil. There really was no reason to hate this kid, though he just got this gross sensation about him.

He leapt from the building, letting the wind float him to the ground. Needless to say it surprised the hell out of Charlie, and he jumped back a good three feet.

"Charlie!" Raimundo laughed in a low voice, "We've been looking everywhere for you! Kimiko has been so worried and –" There was a sharp yelp that resembled something like a battle cry, before the other brunette charged.

The Dragon of Wind blinked in surprise, momentarily stunned, before the other teenager's body plunged into him, hard. They toppled over, but Raimundo was still too shocked to fight back.

Charlie was throwing punches as hard as he could, "How _dare_ you try and tell me my team is looking for me! How _dare_ you try and tell me things about Kimiko that you couldn't even imagine to think about! She's probably eating her self alive she's so sick with worry!" He spat bitterly, "At least, that's what I told myself before I saw you _attack_ her earlier today!"

Finally, the Brazilian got enough life back in his mind to block the punches, and throw the shorter teen off. "What the fuck are you talking about?" He touched a rough spot on his cheek – now delicate due to instant bruising.

"Don't _what the fuck are you talking about_ me!" He almost yelled, but then lowered his voice, remembering he didn't want anyone to know he was here… If he saw Kimiko, he'd probably lose his angry resolve. "Tackling her down like she's one of the boys! You have no idea how to treat a girl!"

Raimundo's eyes narrowed, and he stood, spitting out the built up blood in his mouth. "You're mad about me _tackling_ her yesterday?! After a race?! Into the _grass_?! What the hell do you think she is, a china doll?!"

"She's too delicate for your barbaric ways! Kimiko belongs with someone who's going to take care of her!" He charged for Raimundo again.

He blocked easier this time – more prepared. Street fighting in Brazil was helping his advantage. "Are you _joking_?! That's why you let Chase have that shot at her in the first place, huh?! I've heard the story! I know what happened!"

"You have no idea!" He screamed suddenly, trying to muster up some wind power. It was, after all, the only thing his dull competence for magical ability had ever let him learn.

Raimundo countered with a wind attack of his own, easily blowing Charlie back. "What's wrong with you anyways? Don't you want what's best for your team!?"

"I couldn't give one bloody reason I'd want to help you!"

"You're not as good as you make yourself out to be!"

Charlie froze, realizing it sounded too familiar to Chase's words… Chase's _prediction_ – no… His look into the future that eventually, Charlie would join him for revenge. No, he wouldn't do that to Kimiko.

"Why do you care about her so much?! I've known her for four years! You've known her for barely two weeks!"

"Maybe it hasn't been that long, but I know what to do to protect her! She's not some doll you put on a shelf! She's a human being who loves to have fun and get rough sometimes! She loves exploring and is daring, no matter how feminine she is! You've known her five times longer than I have, and I know more about her than you ever cared to see!"

"That's not true!" He punched at Raimundo again, he punched back. "Give her back to me!" He yelled, shoving him back.

Raimundo slid, catching himself on his hand nimbly. "You think you care so much about her? But you're willing to do _this_ to get her back? You know how much she'd hate this?" Charlie ran at him again, this time out maneuvering him. He slide under Raimundo and kicked him from below, throwing him into the dirt.

Charlie was on him again in a second, just frustrated grunts serving as a reply to his question. He leapt onto the brunette, and they wrestled around on the ground. Each got a few punches and kicks in.

"You can't protect her!"

"If I can't protect her from everything, I at least can protect her from more than myself!"

Charlie let out another strangled cry, and suddenly, pulled the Tiger Claws from seemingly thin air. He held them tightly to Raimundo's neck, his eyes crazed. "These have seen blood before!"

Even though Raimundo had lead a relatively normal life, there were a few things that had already prepared him for a situation like this. It wasn't the first time his life was at a tipping point – living or dying either side that it was going to fall towards… He had a gun pointed at him, a knife held at his throat, and everything in between. Hell, he'd even been taisered on accident once.

The street brawls, and fights for friends he'd had during his rough times in Brazil helped him to stay calm in the situation, and this wasn't the first time (though never quite extreme) he had fought over a girl.

"You're insane…" He mumbled, slowly his struggling. He didn't want to accidentally end up cutting himself.

"Give her back to me."

"Charlie…" He shook his head lightly, "She's not even mine…"

"You're lying!" He shrieked.

"Look at yourself! Look at what you're already becoming and I've only been here for a week!"

"Look at the effect you're having on me! You're at bloody fault here!" Charlie insisted. "You took Kimiko away from me! I love her!"

"It's not love! It's a possession over the thing you latched onto when all of your frustrations are pent up!" Raimundo tried to reason, having been there in various stages of his life already. "It's –"

"No!" Charlie pressed the claws further, and Raimundo felt with a wince, a thin layer of his skin break. The warm blood leaked over his deathly cold skin. His nerves were more on end than he thought.

"Orb of Tornami!" Ice shot with miniscule precision, throwing Charlie off of Raimundo, and pinning him mid air.

Both brunettes craned their necks to see who would walk out of the shadows. Master Fung emerged, his face an angry calm. His breath was hitched slightly – trying to keep his furiousness in check.

"What are you doing back here in such a fashion, Charlie?"

"All I did was come to get my money stashed away so I can leave this place! He attacked me!"

"Which is why you found justice in trying to kill him with the Tiger Claws? An ancient and sacred artifact created for the good? You know that and yet…"

Charlie's hazel eyes ripped themselves away from Master Fung's icicle blue ones. He couldn't bare to look at his old teacher in the face while he accused the young one of attempted murder.

"What is going on with you, Charlie?" His voice was much softer now.

What was going on? The English boy assessed the situation and saw that everything Raimundo spoke about was right. But it didn't just start happening. His rage was slowly building from the time Kimiko went missing, and signs of it started long before that. Chase's words again rang in his head. Maybe he was never meant to be good… always…

Evil…

"Let me go, and I'll leave…"

Master Fung looked to Raimundo, as though letting him decide the fate of Charlie. The Brazilian newcomer knew that he wasn't as crazy as he seemed the last few memories he'd had of Charlie… The brunette tried to put it into perspective… He'd be a little angry too if someone came in and literally swept his life away from him… But enough to kill the guy doing it? Raimundo looked at Charlie. No… He could never kill him… If that was something you learned as a monk, then he wasn't too sure about wanting to be here.

"Let him go…" He shook his head, "Don't come back to torment Kimiko though, Charlie… She's suffering enough… If you're prepared to walk away, _don't_ put her through any more than she needs to…"

Charlie's eyes narrowed, but he bit his tongue. He really didn't believe this guy's sincerity when it came to Kimiko, but for now, Raimundo was right…

The ice never melted away… A monk simply left, while Master Fung's eyes never left Charlie's. He suddenly felt uncomfortable and suffocated – he needed to get away.

A few minutes later, a monk came back with the stack of bills Charlie had stowed away, and slowly the ice turned to water. He grudgingly snatched the bills from the monks, mumbling something about not having any secrets, before turning his back.

"If you hurt her… If you sabotage my friends at all…" Charlie's warning was so quiet, Raimundo had to strain to hear. "I won't hesitate next time…"

And then he was gone into the night… to where – nobody but Charlie knew…

?

**A/N: I thought I was still a chapter ahead on this! I guess not! I'm very sorry for the wait…**

**I wasn't going to have them fight, but I know how much you wanted some Charlie/Rai drama… I hope you enjoyed! Let me know that you're still out there breathing and reading!**

**-zesty-**


	12. Chapter 11: Odd

**When The Wind Blows**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Xiaolin Showdown or any of its characters.**

**Chapter 11: Odd**

"Does it really look that bad?" Worry washed over Raimundo's face as his hand lightly traced the cut from the tiger claws less than a day before.

Master Fung was standing behind him in his newly assigned room, his eyes flooded with an array of emotions even if the rest of his expression was unreadable.

"Do you think it wise to hide this from the rest of your team, Raimundo?"

The brunette turned around with a shrug, his eyes taking in the older man standing calmly in front of him. Despite his still composure, it wasn't hard to see the turmoil in his very being.

"Well, I don't know," Raimundo shrugged, unsure of what to say. "I don't want to cause them any more problems… I know this must be tough on them. They all liked him, didn't they?"

Master Fung gave a slight nod, "They have been together a long time… I will leave the decision up to you, but you must think about the ways Charlie's distrust in people has already affected them."

The teenager sighed in frustration, truthfully at a complete standstill. He wasn't sure _what_ to do. It wasn't exactly obvious if Master Fung was telling him to tell them, or just telling him what would happen if he _didn't_. He chewed on his lip for a moment, turning back to the mirror and examining the slice.

That would be kind of hard to hide.

"Can we play it by ear?" He asked with a cheeky shrug.

The man finally cracked a smile and nodded, "That I can do."

Raimundo let out a puff of air he didn't realize he was holding, before following the man out of the room.

Of course, after walking through the empty halls, and showing up last to the breakfast hall face already strained with careful thought, he knew he had given something away. Kimiko, Clay, and Omi glanced up at him as soon as he entered the room behind Master Fung.

"You're late," Omi observed smugly.

"Ahhh…" Raimundo trailed lamely.

Kimiko's deep blue eyes locked in on him in concern. He smiled when he saw her head tilt slightly to the side with confused care. He realized it was a small quirk of hers he rather enjoyed.

Master Fung may or may not have made a slight clicking noise before moving wordlessly into the kitchen, disappearing through the archway. His new friends were a lot keener than he had originally thought.

"Hey," he said flatly.

"What happened last night, par'ner?" Clay asked, raising an eyebrow. His expression was a little too innocent. Was this a test? Did Master Fung already tell them?

Raimundo rubbed the back of his neck, still unsure of his decision. He wasn't ready to give it to Master Fung five minutes earlier, and he wasn't ready to stare down Charlie's close friends and say 'Hey, your ex-teammate and ex-friend tried to attack and kill me in cold blood last night'.

"Rai?" Kimiko's voice was strained and almost hurt. Her eyes literally bore into his, and despite Omi pointing out his obvious absence, and Clay nonchalantly questioning his whereabouts last night, it was Kimiko's tender voice – just his name in question – that had him telling the truth.

"I've got something I need to tell you," he confessed, collapsing into the chair next to Omi. His small, beady eyes were instantly scrutinizing the Brazilian.

He turned his head to the side, unable to face them. Suddenly, the three of them gasped. Kimiko was up in a minute, grabbed him by the shoulders, her eyes furious. "Let me see!" She demanded. Before he even knew what was going on, one hand was gripping his jaw firmly, and forcing his head up.

The three other dragons leaned in close to see the nasty cut into Raimundo's neck. It wasn't deep, and if he was being honest it didn't hurt – it looked way worse than it actually was.

"What is this from?!" She demanded angrily. She might have understood who her team was, and know that she, at some point, in _both_ flashback-realities, was very close to Clay and Omi… but in the here and now, it was Raimundo she was close to, and who she remembered strictly based on experience from the last few weeks… A protectiveness flared up in her anger that he had to admit, he was sort of flattered by.

"Let me talk!" He told her with a breathless laugh. Unwillingly, she let go of his jaw, and settled back in her seat, clutching the table so hard he was sure it would chip. "Last night, Clay came and talked to me on the roof…"

Her head wheeled around, eyes narrowing untrustingly at the blonde, whose eyes almost bulged out of his head.

"No, no! Kim… wait…" He pressed his hand over hers on the table, and immediately felt her pressure loosen. "He left, and I stayed up there for a long time thinking about this whole Xiaolin-Heylin business…" He sighed, and slumped down in defeat. "That's why he didn't see me, and thought he could come in."

The hair on the back of Kimiko's neck stood on end as she leaned forward. "Who, Rai?"

But it seemed like the brunette was a million miles away, replaying scenes from last night hidden to the rest of his comrades.

"I started off fine, you know…" His voice was thin with stress and uncharacteristic nerves. "I told him we looked for him and that you guys have been worried –" Kimiko's throat tightened, and she could see from the looks on Omi and Clay's faces that theirs were too, "- but he told me it was a lie. He said he wanted to get away from here, and that I had stolen everything away from him…"

"Rai…" Kimiko murmured.

"I guess he's sort of right."

"Rai." The girl tried again, taking a hold of his hand and squeezing it. His eyes finally snapped back to reality and he stared at her. "Who?" She pleaded, begging silently that it wasn't who she thought it was.

He shook his head, "I'm so sorry…"

Tears immediately filled the brim of her eyes, and slid down her cheeks. "Why?" She whispered. "How could he?" Her eyes couldn't be torn away from the cut on Raimundo's throat. Any harder, and it could have killed him. "Why would he try to kill you?"

"I didn't want to tell you guys… I knew it would be hard…" He looked over to see water in Omi's own eyes, while Clay's face was clouded with emotions. He tucked his expression under his hat by bowing his head, showing everybody nothing of his reaction.

Kimiko turned at the sound of footsteps, unable to stop herself from feeling small and pathetic. How could they have let Charlie get to this point?

"Master Fung…" She couldn't ask a question, nor could she ask for his advice. She couldn't say one thing to the man without breaking down, and falling towards the man she considered another part of her family, as he caught her and hugged her reassuringly. "Charlie's not a murder," she reasoned through hiccups.

"I know, young one…" But Master Fung's face, hidden to Kimiko from her tucked head and his billowing robes, said something else completely. Something the rest of her team didn't miss.

* * *

Chase rubbed his eyes irritably. His orb showed the English teenager, in town on virtually the only internet-connected computer in that part of China. Various links that lead to flights from China to England came up as he scrolled, his face too close to the screen to b able to make out much of what was on it.

Charlie was not suppose to do a few things…

He wasn't supposed to want to stick around the outsides of the temple to take care of his friends. It was either in the temple causing turmoil and stress, or already at his lair, begging to be taken on as an apprentice.

Though the stunt he pulled with Raimundo last night _delighted_ Chase, there was nothing more irritating than watching Charlie stumble away, tears pricking his eyes as he realized what he had almost done. The poor child had never expected to be contemplating murder when he had gotten the invite to the Xiaolin Temple…

The second thing he wasn't suppose to do, was go home… In England, though the dark dragon lord could still watch his movements, it would be more frustrating to get a hold of him. Traveling wasn't difficult for Chase Young… inconvenient was more the word he was looking for.

In the whole scheme of things, everything was falling into place. Hell, even Spicer had played his part right… So why wouldn't Charlie?

The man's brow creased as he watched the brunette boy collapse on his bed in utter exhaustion. His hazel eyes were staring blankly at the ceiling, his body relaxing onto the bed. Chase could see the anger slowly melting away from him… That wouldn't do.

There was no doubt in his mind that Charlie had at least entertained the idea of heading to Chase, but his actions about wanting to get away from Kimiko and the others were truly something the raven haired man hadn't anticipated. He wanted to keep them safe… wanted to keep them _all_ safe. That was a bit more good than he anticipated the brunette to have…

Chase would have to do something drastic… Maybe it wouldn't be something to let Charlie's evil instincts take over, like he had originally planned – especially when he had attacked Kimiko's mind during their last battle. The raven had all but sunken into the shadows afterwards, not a trace of him left – not even from Spicer did the monks get information on him.

Maybe he would have to lure Charlie into his grasp… Maybe there needed to be a battle much like the last one… but Chase had been missing one key element. Of course, a home field advantage was always nice, and there was nothing wrong with having his jungle cats around to aid in the fighting… a team of monks and an untrained mage verses one innocent man was hardly fair…

No… the utmost important thing that Chase had faltered in getting the last time the Heylin and Xiaolin had battled was…

Raimundo.

* * *

Kimiko leaned on the side of the building, feeling the wind rush around her face. It was going to storm soon – you could always tell in the mountains because the wind would rush around with no rhyme or reason, this way and that. Besides, she could almost taste the water in the air.

"Maybe you should come inside," the voice startled her. She glanced to her side and saw Raimundo, his hands shoved into his pockets.

"It's nice out here…" She glanced around, watching the usually serene scene whip around harshly in the wind. She smiled with a tender care as she watched one monk trying to keep his hat on his head as he crossed to a different building on the grounds.

"You like when the wind and rain pelt you in the face?" He asked her teasingly. She glared at him.

"Want to come here and say that so I can smack you?"

He shrugged, indifferent to the situation.

"Are you okay?" He finally asked her after a few moments of silence. Instead of waiting for her to come inside, despite her saying she liked being outside (whether a lie or not), he sat down next to her, determined to get her to talk.

She shrugged, "I guess… I guess after I saw how hostile his attitude has gotten, this sort of a thing doesn't surprise me…" She shook her head, hanging it low, "And that's what's got me so shaken up. It doesn't surprise me that one of my best friends was going to kill you." When she glanced up at him, her eyes were shining, but hard.

For once he had nothing to say. No advice, nor anything to lighten the mood. He just stared at her pained face, unsure.

"Is that bad of me?" She whispered, staring forward again.

He eventually broke from his quiet when he saw a tear slip down her cheek. He leaned forward, wiping it away with a stroke of his thumb. "You know Kim, it's not…" He shook his head. "When I lived back in Rio, I had a friend once."

She glanced at him, now curious, though he could tell her attention was divided.

"He was a good friend of Raphael and me, but one day, out of nowhere, he pulled a gun on us." She gasped, not expecting that to be what he was going to tell her, "There were tears in his eyes, and he was shaking so bad, we didn't know if he'd hit us with a bullet, even though he was standing only a few feet away…"

"What did you do?" She couldn't imagine having a friend – maybe Keiko? or Omi or Clay? – suddenly pull a gun out on her.

"We tried to talk him out of it… But he was telling us how this was his only way to save his family, and in a heart beat, he would kill his two good friends to save his little sister."

"Wasn't there another way?"

Raimundo shrugged, "I'm sure there was. We offered to help him… It wasn't the first time that we'd dealt with these sorts of things…" When her eyes widened, he shrugged indifferently, "It comes with a life of partying on the streets all night… Sometimes you get in a bit of trouble… But it's not all so bad."

"What happened then?"

"He refused us, trying to tell us that killing us would save them, and he wouldn't listen to us, even though we were being the voice of reason… That's sort of what happened last night." He shrugged a little, staring forward now instead of at her. He watched the first downpour of rain not too far off. "Charlie either wanted what he couldn't have, or he wanted me gone… I don't blame him on a certain level…"

"But he's not like that," she tried to say, even though both of them knew that was no longer the case. Kimiko heaved a big sigh. "Rai?"

"Hm?" He asked, feeling the first drops from the wind.

"What happened with your friend?"

He let on a wry smile and rolled up his T-shirt sleeve. She gasped when she saw the raised scar on his shoulder. "I told you, he was shaking so bad… When he first hit me, he broke down – he couldn't do it…" Raimundo shrugged before letting on a grin, "My dad was a cop… we went to him before anything else, and it turned out the threat was coming from my friend's girlfriend's ex boyfriend…" He rolled his eyes, "The dramatics."

"How can you be so calm about it?"

He shrugged, "I don't know… I guess…" He trailed when thunder rumbled above them. "Let's go inside now, okay?"

She knew he was trying to change the subject, and she wondered if he even had an ending to the sentence he was saying. Letting out another hard sigh, she stood and dusted off the back of her robes, "You're right," she nodded, "Let's go."

* * *

"_I totally have it!" She shrieked at him, only inches from his face, eyes wild with unrelenting anger, "You knocked me out of the way! Are you _trying _to let Jack get the Wu?!"_

"_You were in danger!" He shouted, his hazel eyes burning right back into hers._

_She scoffed, uncharacteristically snorting as she pulled away from him. "You're delusional! You're such an asshole! I can take care of myself! I don't need you hovering around me all the time! It's killing the teamwork!"_

_Omi and Clay stayed back, knowing fully that even though they agreed with Kimiko, they weren't going to come in front of Charlie when he was _this_ mad. Kimiko was the only one who could get away with that, but that was expected because she was such a hot head._

"_You need protection!" He tried to argue._

_Without saying anything, she growled and wheeled around, slapping him hard against the face. "Listen to yourself! If I needed protection, I wouldn't be out here you idiot!" She huffed and turned around, her pony tails slapping him in the face as she whirled around._

"_I will stop at nothing to protect you…" He growled fiercely at her._

_She got uncomfortable chills running down her spine, "Save it, Charlie… I can take care of myself."_

Kimiko's eyes fluttered open. Just another dream about Charlie and her… This one, she figured, was real. It sounded so much like him, but it only opened up her eyes further to the fact that he really was getting angrier as time passed.

The same chill lingered on her back, and she was unsure of why that was. Maybe it was just the way Charlie had promised to protect her no matter what, when all she wanted was to be treated as an equal on the team by him… to be able to use her skill without being interrupted.

Even now, her memories scattered, she knew she could handle anything that came her way.

Anything.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for such a long wait! I just pulled this up and kind of pulled it out of my ass… Too lazy to edit – I apologize for any mistakes!**

**I hope you enjoyed though! :D The next couple of chapters, believe me, you're going to **_**love**_**.**

**-zesty-**


	13. Chapter 12: Suspicion

**When The Wind Blows**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Xiaolin Showdown or any of its characters.**

**Chapter 12: Suspicion**

For some reason, Kimiko had a _wonderful_ sleep last night. She was exhausted from the day, and her irritable attitude was weighing down on her.

When she had collapsed into bed… she was _out_. The sun washed over her petite body in the morning as she sighed, a blissful smile on her lips as she rolled into her pillow. Her hair sprawled out around her, and her face snuggled into the feather pillow below her, limbs lazily relaxed over the bed.

The wind rustled the leaves and swayed the grass outside – she could almost picture it. Before she stepped out for morning training every day, she stopped for a moment to appreciate the way that all of the elements worked together to keep balance. The flowers were always bright and lively, and the weather was never too unbearable, and she came to find that the temple was a sanctuary for a lot of smaller animals.

Her sheets were tangled underneath her – all the better, because the sun stretched over her, warming her in the most calming way possible after the previous night's rain. The girl finally began to wake up as she rolled over and stretched.

Mid stretch, however, she stopped. Her eyes were still glued shut, most of her body still not wanting to awaken in such a comfortable position. She crinkled her nose at the unfamiliar smell around her – not the customary wafting breakfast that awaited her usually late arrivals.

Finally, her sapphire eyes fluttered open, and instantly, she knew she was not where she was supposed to be. Shooting up in bed, she glanced around. First of all, it was a bed. A big bed. After so much time in the temple, Master Fung had finally agreed to move their cubicles small rooms, and give them a twin sized bed to sleep on, hoping to improve their energy while training…

But this bed was fashioned with the most comfortable of sheets, billowing pillows, and the girl realized quickly that her whole _team_ could fit on it.

The next thing was the room… It was very plain – none of her belongings with her. Biting the inside of her cheek in confusion and fear, she slowly planted her feet on the ground. Luckily, she was already in her Xiaolin robes, having fallen asleep in them the night before. Her shoes tapped quietly on the ground as she tip toed over to the door, yanking it open.

It groaned in protest, and was a _lot_ heavier than she thought it would be, and the girl tensed as she pulled with her whole body. When she finally maneuvered herself into the hall, she stopped dead in her tracks… She knew where she was.

"Chase's lair…" She murmured, her voice flat.

With precise timing, Chase himself turned the corner, his lips curled up into a smile, and his eyes flashing with fire.

"Welcome, Kimiko… I'm glad to see that you rested well." She couldn't help the involuntary shutter that crawled across her body when he suggested he had been watching her.

"Chase Young," she narrowed her eyes at him in accusation. She really wasn't scared about being in this place. She had only vague memories of it, and in truth, the man didn't really scare her. "Why am I not surprised?"

"On the contrary, Kimiko… You're free to go at any time you wish." He gestured down the hall, and she had this distinct feeling that he wasn't lying; an exit lay somewhere in the direction he pointed her.

"What's the catch?" She asked, crossing her arms, being brave. She probably couldn't afford to act cocky, but she honestly couldn't remember if this guy posed a big threat or not. Chase Young was a formidable guy really – and she had a _feeling_ that though she shouldn't be afraid, she should at least be careful… But she couldn't wrap her head around it.

He shrugged, his hands still clutched behind his back, as he turned on his heel and walked the other direction. The girl inwardly groaned; this was part of his ploy to get her to follow – not to leave. She understood that following was absolutely, without any doubt, what he wanted… and yet…

This was the man who had taken her whole world, and tossed it upside down. He controlled her memories, and according to everyone else, was the only reason she'd met Raimundo. Not to mention, the reason Charlie had abandoned them.

With answers within reach, she ignored her gut, and followed him deeper into his lair.

It really wasn't all that bad. The place was spacious – some ancient artifacts peppering the halls to make it feel less empty. Jungle cats walked this way and that looking _comfortable_, and that had to be a good sign at least, right? He took good care of his cats…

Greenery was everywhere, and she appreciated how fresh and clean it smelt, while somewhere around her, she was sure she could hear the running water of a waterfall. It was sort of majestic – if you could look passed the fact that an evil dragon lord owned the place.

"Why did you do this?" She questioned before she could help herself. "Why did you lead Raimundo to us, when you knew it would make the team complete?"

He gave her a Chesire smile, ignoring her question. "Don't you have more pressing things to ask me?"

She wracked her brain, trying to pick her most important question. That had been it, hadn't it? No…

"Why me?"

"That's better," he praised, but still didn't answer her.

"Why won't you give me my memories back?" She demanded, stomping her foot and stopping. Now that he had her hooked, she knew he wouldn't walk away again.

"I suppose I could…" He shrugged, "But if I do that, you wouldn't be able to see more glimpses of the life you could have had with Raimundo on the team from the start…"

"What are you talking about?" She asked, exasperated.

"If I return your memory to you right now, all of those nice flashes… You and the Brazilian boy's meeting, him becoming the leader of your team, you and him… dare I say it? _In love_…"

Her stomach jerked, not liking at all where he was going with this.

"They would be gone…"

She narrowed her eyes. She could start over. Her and Raimundo could still have those moments.

"But there's another catch."

Her stomach did another flip.

He gestured around him, "All of your memories up to this point would be gone…"

"What are you talking about?"

"You would remember Charlie, and you would remember your last fight with me…" He nodded, his eyes zoning in on her, golden and crisp. "You would remember being zapped with my spell…"

"And," she probed for him to continue.

"Do you know the feeling now? The feeling that no matter how hard you try and find it, in your mind, the memory of what happened before you woke up and accidentally went to Brazil, it's lost?"

She didn't answer, and he knew for a fact her silence was telling him that absolutely, she had that feeling.

"You would have the same feeling – the same frustrations, but in reverse…" He flicked his long hair over his shoulder – an arrogant sign showing that he figured he had already won, "Except, meeting Raimundo in this reality, sharing your first precious moments with him in Brazil, and your whole journey here… The flashes you've seen of him in a different reality, and not to mention, everything that's happened with Charlie, and how you feel about Raimundo…" He sucked in a breath, "If I give you your memories back… Then you won't even know who Raimundo is when you walk out of here."

She shrunk back, as though she'd physically been hit. This was bad. Very bad.

"Why would you want that?"

"Why else, Kimiko?" He turned, giving her only his profile to stare at, horrified. "I'm evil."

She let out a frustrated scream and charged at him, flame igniting on her fingertips, and licking towards the ceiling. She dove for him without any rhyme or reason, and he easily danced away from her. But her attacks were quick and relentless.

He had fought with Omi before, but their fighting styles had been very similar. Kimiko's was just as quick, but more like a dance than an attack, and kept him on his toes. She was unpredictable and flickery, just like the fire in her body.

He grinned as he was hardly dodging her blows, the thrill and adrenaline surging through his body more now than it had since he had fought with Omi. Even the thrill of messing with Charlie, navigating through this whole plan, and knowing that using the British boy as a pawn, he would rule the world did not match this.

The girl was fierce and brave, and he admired that about her… a _lot_. He had given her the option to leave, and was actually kind of surprised that she'd stayed. He figured her curiosity would get the best of her – but a fight… he hadn't expected.

"Let the memory, and the lack of them fuel your rage!" He laughed as she sprung at him again.

His eyes watched her every move, until one moment, she slipped under him. His eyes darted for her, but she took the unexpected route from underneath him, and kicked up, straight into his groin. He groaned and stumbled back, falling to his knees.

"Fix everything!" She cried out, fury cracking her voice. "Bring Charlie back! Give me my memories! Let us keep Raimundo!"

"You can't have everything," he still cackled at her, spatting on the ground as he stumbled to get back up.

Her chest was rising and falling hard, and he knew most of her energy had been spent. But she had landed her kick, and it seemed that's all she wanted to do. The fire was gone from her hands, though little trails of it still burned on in little heaps on his shining floor.

"What is this really about?" She demanded, though she didn't sound quite as fearsome as she had before. "Me? Or something more?"

"Much, much more my dear…"

"Explain."

"All in due time," he answered vaguely, and she narrowed her eyes at him. "In the mean time, would you like a few more bits and pieces of your past?" Her eyebrow raised an suspicion, and Chase held his open palms to her in gentle surrender. "I am not dishonorable, Kimiko. Though you may think of me as slime and low, dishonorable is something I'm _not._ You landed a hit on me…" He let his lips curl into a smile. "A cheap shot, but a hit nevertheless… Things like that should be rewarded."

"How do I know you aren't just pulling the wool over my eyes?" She asked him skeptically, "How do I know that you're not just going to twist my reality into your liking?"

"Because, like I said before… I'm after something much bigger than you."

She had a terrible feeling that no matter how many times he assured her it wasn't her, somehow, it would connect back, and be her fault. Or maybe it was just the feeling that she was with Chase, considering following Chase, just to get some of her old past back… Maybe it was because she believed him, and that's what had her so spooked.

Nevertheless, she pushed all doubts out of her mind, and very slowly, and staying a considerable distance from him, she followed once again, against her better judgement.

* * *

"Charlie did this!" Raimundo roared, his eyebrows knit together as he puffed air from his nose in deep frustration. No, it was more than frustration. It was a frenzy.

Despite the worried looks on both Clay and Omi's faces, neither of them disagreed with the new comer. Clay took off his hat and glanced around. "Kim is gonna be fine… It's more where she is, than her state of bein' that I'm worried about."

"How do you know she'll be okay?" Raimundo turned.

At first, the sun-kissed blonde tilted his head, wondering if he was more like Charlie than he first anticipated. He always assumed that others had no idea what they were talking about… But then he realized that Raimundo had more to say.

"I mean… I haven't known her that long, and from what I've seen, she's a tough girl… But she also needs help from time to time. How likely is it that she'll be okay without us while we try to figure this out?"

"I can't see someone kidnapping her, and then killing her before anyone showed up," Clay reasoned with a heavy shrug of his shoulders. "There's more to it."

The Brazilian boy turned to Omi who sat with a deep look on his face. "Omi?"

"I believe Clay speaks the truth, Raimundo…" He started, before sitting up a little straighter. "I also believe I know who took her."

"Who?!"

"Two guesses," though he wore a mildly proud smile for being so smart, it didn't reach his eyes. These were dangerous choices.

"It'd rule Spicer out right away," Clay said, tipping his hat back to reveal his baby blue eyes.

Omi nodded, "I do not believe Jack Spicer has anything to do with this!"

"Then who?" Raimundo asked, unsure of who all of their enemies were.

"It is either Charlie, or a ploy to get Charlie."

"What are you talkin' bout, little buddy?"

The wind suddenly swept over the grass in an ominous blow, a storm rolling in quickly from the west. The leaves shivered, quaking in the eeriness that suddenly filled the area. All three of them, along with the monks meditating not far away on the training field, stopped and turned towards the temple gate. The door was roughly pushed open, and speak of the devil…

In walked Charlie.

His eyes burned with panic and hate, and he swept towards them, his brisk pace hardly natural. He was stiff, and looked like a mess. Pale and almost shaking, he stopped a small distance out from them, but didn't say a word for several minutes. His eyes were searching around, though he was trying to make it discreet. The brunette looked like he'd seen a ghost.

Everyone looked to Omi, who slowly stood, knowing it was his duty to ask what Charlie was doing back here, especially after his attack on Raimundo.

When addressed with the question, Charlie's eyes suddenly snapped back to the shortest and youngest monk, his eyes crazy, expression almost insane.

"Where is she?"

"Where is _who_?" Raimundo sneered, looking down on him in disgust.

Charlie stormed forward so quickly that nobody stopped him before he grabbed the front of Raimundo's robes, yanking him so they were only inches apart.

His hot breath rolled over the brunette's face as he almost groaned the answer. "Kimiko."

There was a short silence as Raimundo pushed back, stumbling as he finally got Charlie's grip off of his red tunic.

"She's gone, Charlie…" Clay told him. The words made it seem more permanent, and the wind howled among the mountains around them.

"I know…" was his only answer, eyes widening like it was _Kimiko's_ ghost, he had seen.

* * *

_Earlier._

It was almost time for his flight. Almost time to go home, and figure out what to do now that he'd wasted _years_ and _years_ at the worthless temple. In the end, it had taught him nothing, and made him more stressed and angrier than he ever remembered being at home.

He jumped a million miles into the air when a knock sounded at his door.

"Sir?" There was a Chinese man there when he opened the door, peering up at him, clutching a box to his chest. "This was left for you," his accent was thick, but understandable, and Charlie grumbled his thanks before taking it and slamming the door shut again.

He collapsed on the bed, the box in his arms. Staring at it for a moment, he realized he wasn't sure if he liked that he'd received a present. It was pretty light, so he knew it wasn't some sort of weapon but…

The monks didn't know where he was… that meant nobody else did.

Who had given him something?

Curiosity got the best of him he started to tear it open, stopping when he found a blue beaded necklace inside. Squinting, he pulled it out of the box, seeing a note attached to the end of it.

_Remember seeing a glimpse of this in town when you saw Kimiko again for the first time? I'll give you one guess as to who got it for her…_

What did that have to do with him? Why did people have to keep flaunting Kimiko's delusional fondness for Raimundo in her face?

_How do you think I knew when they got home?_

His eyes widened. The necklace? It was a tracker? How _did_ Chase know so much about their current situation? How was he always around whenever it was most convenient in tearing him and his team apart?

His anger surfaced again as he clutched the necklace in his hand, hard. Raimundo had bought her a tracker… Her new memories clouded around Raimundo… Was this kid working with Chase Young? Sent in to win the trust of a girl who couldn't remember anything? Just to take down her whole team?

He reflected on his first impression of Raimundo, trying to see them without his obvious biased opinion of the jerk. He had been so good at fighting – so natural at training… He was easy going and fell into an easy rhythm right when he got there… He had been so calm when Charlie had held the claws to his neck…

Raimundo Pedrosa was working for Chase Young. Raimundo was going to help take over the world, and would watch the fall of the Xiaolin Temple.

He scrambled back to the necklace in his hand when he realized there was more to the note.

_How do you think I knew where exactly to find Kimiko…_

He tried to process the words slowly in his mind. Find Kimiko? Kimiko was at the temple she –

No…

_Come visit me, and you can give it back to her…_

Tendrils of panic curled around his stomach, seizing it and clutching it hard. Chase Young was dangerous. Who knew what he could do to Kimiko. No matter how angry he was at the team for their decision to trust Raimundo (especially _now_), it didn't change the fact that she was delicate and needed to be protected.

It didn't change the fact that he loved her…

To finally admit it to himself, it was like a great weight was lifted off of his shoulders.

And then, he was out the door faster than he ever thought possible, racing to the temple. It wasn't true… It couldn't be. Kimiko was delicate and small, but _smart_. She wouldn't let Chase take her…

A growing lump formed in his stomach that made it do flips around his body. He closed his eyes as he ran, almost running into a few people. They yelled at him in Chinese, shaking their fists at him as he ran.

It _couldn't_ be true.

* * *

**A/N:**

**Well… Because just so many of you reviewed, and so many supported the 'pulling the chapter out of my ass' antic, I did it again for you! I hope you all enjoyed the drama brewing with everybody!**

**Is it just me, or does it really seem like Charlie has jumped off the deep end?**

**Enjoy your special treat of an update! Once again too lazy to edit, all mistakes are my own ;)  
**

**-zesty-**


	14. Chapter 13: Delusions

**When The Wind Blows**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Xiaolin Showdown or any of its characters.**

**Chapter 13: Delusions**

"Still going to let me leave when I want?"

"If I said no, and your team came looking for you, would they be upset you didn't escape right away?" He countered, raising an eyebrow. He sat at a long table, enjoying his soup.

Kimiko tried not to stare, because really that was the last thing she wanted to watch Chase eat. She didn't know the exact reason, but something about it made her skin crawl, so she figured she knew what it was all about at one point or another.

She puckered her lips and tossed her hair, feeling totally confident, if not a little eerie, in his presence. "They wouldn't be mad. They know I want answers."

"They also would have never let you come here alone…"

"Why'd you bring me here?" She asked him, peering a little closer, "If you aren't going to kill me, and you aren't keeping me here… Wouldn't it be better for us all if I just left?"

He shrugged, "Sometimes I want a little company."

"Ew," she told him, rearing backwards, her expression teetering towards disgust.

It took him a few moments, but he also made a sour face, "Not like that. Ridiculous Xiaolin monks and their notions that everyone desires them –"

"Stop," she demanded. It was weird – her sitting here, talking to Chase like she'd talk to her team. Commanding him to do things, or feeling a prick of a smile at what just passed. She wondered if she'd feel the same, had she gained back her memories. She realized with surprise that Chase had bit back a smile as well.

Kimiko knew he was bad. She knew that Chase was dangerous, and all logic steered her towards the exit he pointed out earlier… and yet, without knowing exactly _why_ she thought this way, a feeling pulled her here and kept her planted in place, sitting patiently at the other end of the table, still leaning forward for answers.

She voiced this exact reasoning to him, hoping maybe he would be honest and shed some light on the situation.

He shrugged, "There is a little bit of good in everything that is evil, and a little bit of evil in everything that is good…"

"Explain," Kimiko asked him a little more forcefully than she should have.

But he didn't take offense as he took another thoughtful bite of his soup. "Your evil lies in the fact that you're still here. The fact that you don't want to destroy me right now, but listen to me give you answers that you can't decipher if they're true or not."

"And the good in you?" She questions, skepticism in her eyes.

"The fact that I'm not lying to you…"

She stopped then, thinking about what he had said. A little good and a little bad in everyone, huh? "So what's Charlie?" She asked finally. "You _knew_ Raimundo was the Dragon of Wind… You knew that him leading me back here, feeding me the memories of what _should_ have happened, would create a problem." She stopped as realization slowly sunk in. "You knew that Charlie would be upset, and you knew he'd abandon the Xiaolin Team. That's what you _wanted_."

His lips grew into an ominous smile, and she stood, realizing she should get out while she still could.

She turned away from him, her shoes tapping daintily as she began to cross the large room, aiming for the door she'd followed him through earlier. The girl heard no movement behind her, and that somehow propelled her faster over the shining floor. She could see her shoes' reflection in the sheen, and she continually moved faster, the silence between her footsteps decreasing with every second.

As soon as she made it to the large archway however, three jungle cats walked carelessly in front of it, sitting down and gazing at her with an uncomfortable intensity.

"This is about the time," Chase's voice rang out, "that I unfortunately have to keep you against your will…" She could _hear_ the smile in his voice. "Because you know too much."

Her eyes widened. She was confident that while she couldn't defeat Chase, she wasn't in any _creepy_ danger… Just your average getting-kidnapped-by-a-dragon-lord sort of deal. If nothing else, that was at least the only upside to the situation.

"Get comfortable Kimiko… I feel like you could be here for awhile…"

Despite her knowledge that Chase wouldn't do anything _weird_, it didn't stop the hair from rising on the back of her neck.

* * *

(**A/N: Gah! Sorry if that bit was awkward, I just really wanted to get it through to you all that Chase is **_**not**_** a creep like that in this story.)**

"You're working with Chase!" Charlie accused, shoving him backwards. "You gave Kimiko that necklace so that bastard could track her! You're the reason she's been captured!" He howled, shoving Raimundo back again.

The Brazilian stared at him with a confusion that wouldn't let him speak. He was flustered – to say the least – at these accusations. Why would he think that? Surely Charlie hated him, but to accuse him of being the reason Kimiko was gone? That was just stupid. There was nothing else to it.

"Charlie," Clay tried to wheel him backwards, "Calm down, buddy –" But instead of complying like he normally did with the gentle cowboy, Charlie spun around and sent a punch square into Clay's jaw.

The crack rang out like a whip just caught somebody's back. Clay's blue eyes narrowed in suspicion and had a deep underlying of anger as he pressed his jaw back into place. It didn't hurt – it'd happened to him before with the cattle kicking him back home, and he knew it hadn't dislocated – just popped.

But that didn't change the fact that Charlie was no bull; he really shouldn't have consciously done that.

And Charlie seemed to think the same thing, for a moment. His eyes were wide with panic and disbelief, before they narrowed and he fell into a leisurely fighting stance. Omi would have pointed out everything that was wrong with it before, except… no longer did he want to help the British boys correct his flaws. Every flaw was an advantage on an enemy.

Omi's heart ached as an invisible hand clutched it. Pain sliced through his stomach. Someone he had once considered part of his dysfunctional little family, he now called the _enemy._

"And you guys!" Charlie bellowed as these thoughts filled Omi and Clay's minds. Raimundo continued to stare, bewilderment freezing his body. "You're no better! You're letting the _enemy_ into your lives! You let him replace me! Someone who was trained by your worst enemy and –"

"Raimundo wasn't trained by Chase… He didn't even know who Chase was 'til he came here with Kim."

"He's stealing you guys little by little!" The brunette insisted, his eyes wide and angry.

"You do not have your facts tidy!" Omi told him, falling back into his own battle stance, ready to duke it out with the bigger teen.

"Straight!" Charlie bellowed, "It's straight!" He leapt forward, ready to take Omi down. He was really delusional if he thought he could beat the little guy at his own game. Omi was the most dedicated and the best fighter out of all of them. His style stuck to the book, but that's what made it so good.

"If I remember correctly!" Omi called out to him as he spun to dodge one of Charlie's brute attacks. "It was _myself_ who trained under Chase Young for a time! I was the one who was lured by his promises of better skill! _Not_ this person we have just befriended!"

"Befriended?!" Charlie growled. "You're letting someone come between us?! Your family member!?"

"We didn't tell you to leave!" Clay jumped into the fray, stomping down on the Earth to shake Omi a fraction higher than Charlie's striking hand. It would have hit, Charlie quicker in his rage, had Clay not intervened.

"You did! By letting him stay!"

Raimundo came in and swept underneath the other boy, knocking him on his back. "Why do you think everyone's out to get you?! Are you paranoid?!" He demanded with a light grin on his face. He didn't mind taunting Charlie, especially when he was acting utterly insane.

"Look at all of you! Gain up on me when I'm not the problem!"

Omi stumbled back first, suddenly on the defensive until he splayed water all over everyone, drenching them and forming puddles under their feet. He jerked his feet on the ground, sliding them to the left, while his body went to the right, freezing everyone to their spots.

Raimundo and Charlie almost fell over by the sudden speed drop, and the ice groaned underneath Clay's heavy movement.

"You are correct, Charlie…" Omi suddenly said, surprising everyone. "While you may have notion that are not true, right now, our quarrel is not the problem."

"That's not what I meant –"

"_Kimiko_ is who we should be tracking!"

Charlie was silent, his face flushing when he realized he'd forgotten all about this predicament that Kimiko was in, in his rage.

"But, we must clear _something_ of this up. Why do you think this necklace Raimundo bought for her, helped Chase get to her?"

"Because! He told me!" He ripped the note from his jeans pocket and shook it wildly in the air. "He told me all of this! He told me that you can't trust Raimundo!"

"Why would you trust Chase?" Clay suddenly asked, his eyes narrowed as he tipped his hat out of his eyes.

That stopped Charlie. Wasn't Chase the one he had been trying to shake from his mind? His movements? There was that unintentional pull towards Chase that Charlie knew was just a lure to get him to join the Heylin side… His leaving had been to protect himself and his friends from the dragon lord's grasp.

But he couldn't show them that he had slipped up in judgment. He couldn't tell them that he was slowly losing it to this obsessive thought that Chase would get a hold of him, and Charlie would be back with a vengeance to kill them all. That sounded crazy.

"Why would he lie?"

"Because it's Chase!" Clay argued, trying to defend Raimundo. He liked the Brazilian, and somehow, everything felt _right_ when he was there. All the drama had vanished, and he thought their team would work without flaws – especially when Master Fung told Charlie he could get the help that he needed to be a mage, instead of a Wind Dragon.

Omi was busy reading the note, and he shook his head in disbelief. "Charlie, do you forget the stories Master Fung, and Chase Young _himself_ told us? Chase used to train here. How else would he know where to find Kimiko? Of course she would be slumbering where she was _supposed_ to be at night." His eyes narrowed, "You also know that Chase has his hawks, his jungle cats, and the Eye of Zhen that allows him to see what he wants if he has the right ingredients. You know all of this, and yet you still insist Raimundo is the traitor?"

"Are you insinuating that I'm the traitor?" He spat, and suddenly, the ice around them melted.

"You are twisting my words –"

"I'm going to find her! Because all of you insist on protecting _Raimundo_ instead of caring about Kimiko! I'm the only one who cares! I'll save her, and she'll tell you all about how we shouldn't be abandoning Charlie!" He turned on his heel and fled with a speed they hadn't seen from him before.

"We have to follow him… We have to get Kimiko before Charlie does something stupid!" Raimundo told them.

"Right!"

"I'll go get Dojo!" Omi informed them, running off.

"And we'll get some Wu," Clay added with a determined nod.

Raimundo and him walked to the vault, both delving into their own thoughts.

Somehow, Raimundo had this awful feeling about the rescue. He felt like someone was going to get hurt… and it wasn't going to be pretty. Betrayal was lingering ahead of them… something he knew that Omi and Clay felt as well. But were they ready to take it on? _Could_ they?

He thought about Kimiko, and wondered what was happening at Chase's lair. He wouldn't hurt her, no… Despite tearing away Kiniko's memories, Raimundo had come to believe, hearing the story with an outsider's view, that Chase wanted nothing to do with Kimiko. She was a pawn to bring him someone else.

Whether it was him or Charlie though, he hadn't any idea, though the brunette had a looming guess that it was Charlie he was after.

His thoughts flowed from Kimiko's abduction to Charlie's behavior. He hadn't know the guy before Kimiko had lost his memories, but to him, again with an outsider's opinion, the guy was an absolutely lunatic. Raimundo believed there was more going on than the three of them knew about the mage, and that's what was clutching his gut in nervousness…

He had these delusions that everything was out to get him. Whether he was paranoid, or something that was said to him was driving him to insanity, Raimundo didn't want to find out. But he knew if his crawling suspicions were correct, and Chase really wanted the mage, he _knew_ it wouldn't turn out good.

If Omi had succumbed to the darkness, Charlie's much weaker spirit would too, and with a mind turning a different direction than the others… He knew that could prove to be the most dangerous thing of all…

* * *

**A/N: I know it's a little shorter, but I hope you enjoyed it anyways! I wanted a really good place to stop before the action, and I think Raimundo's thoughts about how crazy Charlie is acting was the perfect place to do so.**

**I'm surprised at how much attention this story has gotten lately! And I think that's what is propelling my quick updates. So if you want to continue with quick chapters… feel free to keep leaving me all of your kind words! :)**

**You guys are really great! Love you all!**

**No editing once again, though I'm coming to learn none of you care as long as I'm pumping out some chapters ;)**

**-zesty-**


	15. Chapter 14: Height

**When The Wind Blows**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Xiaolin Showdown or any of its characters.**

**Warning: It's late, I'm tired, and just painted my nails: :) please excuse any mistakes or nonsensical sentences haha**

**Chapter 14: Height**

She was good. She was _damn_ good…

And yet, she was sure there was no way she was getting around those jungle cats.

Everywhere she went, they followed her, always lingering with a hungry gaze that made tendrils of uncomfortable fear climb up her back and wrap around her petite body. She had no intensions of trying to escape. Kimiko might have been desperate to get away – to warn the others… to warn Charlie, but she wasn't stupid.

The Japanese girl wasn't about to fight off three jungle cats, only for six more to replace them. And as they continued to double, it would give Chase Young time to get to her. Though she didn't remember much about his skills, the gut wrenching feeling lashing in her stomach told her she wouldn't win.

She wouldn't put Raimundo, Omi, and Clay (at the very least) in danger to save her when she was already _dead_. So she continued to make the two panthers and slender bobcat following her on edge as she paced the room.

Chase had excused himself not even five minutes ago after politely dabbing at the corners of his lips with a napkin, asking the girl lightly if she wanted to share dessert with him. She had mumbled a half-hearted _no_ _thank you_ to her captor, before continuing her walking, the tapping of her black shoes creating a constant beat in the background of her thoughts.

Why would Chase want Charlie to leave? Obviously, it wasn't just for the British boy to go home… That would give them the advantage. Chase would only want this if Charlie was going to cause some sort of catastrophic problem… but what? What could Chase make him do? Charlie might have possessed real anger issues, but to kill his friends? His family? It wasn't likely.

Sighing, she slunk over to a chair and collapsed into it, feeling exhausted within just a few minutes. Closing her eyes, she pushed her senses outward, hoping to feel some sort of a jab at any of them that might help her come to the epiphany she needed.

The only thing she could really hear was the light catching noise when the cats in front of her settled on the floor, their claws dipping out and then retracting again, digging themselves into the ground a little. The scratching noise was somehow comforting in the wide, hollow room.

"Would you like to see more memories?" Chase's sudden voice made her jump, and that cats almost tipped backwards, trying to follow her motions. "That would be necessarily anymore, my pets…" He purred to the cats, picking one of the panthers with a feather around its neck to scratch behind the ears.

"You're going to show me more without taking away my memories of Raimundo?"

He chuckled, flicking his long forest-tinted hair over his shoulder. The shining black tendrils cascaded over his bulking armor, and she narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

"Kimiko, you're going to be here for awhile… Why would I want to bore myself by erasing all of your memories? We would have to have this whole conversation again, and I don't think it would be nearly as pleasant. You're behaving quite well," he praised, and to be frank, it made her want to bend the rules a little.

As she followed him from the room, she pushed into the bobcat, earning a menacing growl and ominous eyes trailing her hands. She laced her fingers tightly together in front of her. She knew it wouldn't eat her, but it didn't scare her any less… Maybe she should continue to behave… At least until back up arrived.

They wound through countless corridors, and for a moment in the silence, she wondered if Chase was luring her into a trap. But she considered the fact she didn't remember _anything_, and for once, the lack of memories made her feel a little bit safer.

"What would you like to know about yourself?" He asked her in an almost hiss. He was enjoying this way too much.

She thought for a moment about all of the things she had thought of in Brazil when she'd first arrived on the beach. She couldn't remember her name, and in the flashback there was a girl who looked just like her, but with different eyes, and maybe a little taller.

"I want to know about my life at home…" She didn't know what she would expect, but if, for the rest of her life, she didn't know about her past, it would eat her alive.

"Good choice," he praised, "I don't think it will disappoint you."

She narrowed her eyes, unsure if he was being sarcastic or not.

Before she could analyze it too much, the hallway opened up into a spacious room, much like the dining room they were in, but instead of the noise of a close by waterfall, there _was_ a waterfall. Greenery tangled around the high up ledges of the walls – windows without any glass.

There were a few things in the room. On a pedestal there was a clawed hand gripping a ball, and it reminded her of something you'd see at a fortune teller's shop. There were a few lounging chairs, one end slanted upward to support a head, curling down into almost a bed with no back, and no arm on the other side. A couple of tables with expensive antiques were dotted around the room, and a massive bookshelf with piles of parchment, scrolls, and books was up against one wall.

As she gawked at the expensive architecture in the room, Chase had already moved towards the orb, and was sitting in the throne like chair behind it. He watched her stare and twirl around, trying to take in the space.

"Do you like it?" He asked in mild amusement. The girl was so vulnerable without her memories – it was humorous to him.

She hid the awe on her face as soon as he spoke, and shrugged, suddenly detached and uninterested in the things around her. "It's okay."

"Of course," He said in a grinning tone. "Come take a seat… the closer you are to the memory, the sharper it will be."

Her mind was trying to get her to stop – trying to tell her that maybe lounging in a chair next to Chase Young wasn't a very good idea because he would probably take advantage of her unconscious state. She knew very well she would pass out when the memories overtook her, and she wondered if _then_ would be the time he would strike and kill.

But her curiosity got the better of her, and her feet were moving before she could process what was happening. The petite girl collapsed onto the lounging chair and leaned against the arm, staring at the swirling mist, trapped inside the glass ball. Watching it made her dizzy.

"Are you ready?" He asked her patiently.

Her mind screamed, sending off warning sirens, a bad feeling in her gut. But she ignored it all and sucked in a wavering breath. "I guess so…"

"Good," He grinned, before snapping his fingers, and finding exactly what he wanted to show her. With a few murmured words, her mind was clouded with visions that were a life she didn't know, and the real world around her succumbed to blackness.

* * *

"Who are we more worried about right now?" Raimundo started, clutching the dragon for dear life.

This was the first time he'd ridden in the air. He'd never been on an airplane, and he supposed the swing ride at the festival that went a grand twenty-feet off the ground didn't count. The clouds whirled around him, and he saw the tiny pin pricks that were the tips of once monstrous mountains below him.

"Charlie? Or Chase?" He grumbled, squeezing his eyes shut.

"First of all, it helps if ya don't look down," Clay grinned at him, tipping his hat politely.

"Right," Raimundo mumbled, wrapping his body tighter around the dragon.

"Secondly –"

"I think we should be most worried of the explosion that will happen when all of us get there…" Omi sighed, stress creasing his brow, "I fear this is what Chase is hoping for."

"And there's no way to prevent it?"

"Not any way that I can know of!"

"Think of," Clay corrected, a grin still on his face. "As long as we get Kim back, nothing else matters right now."

"Good thinking, Clay," Raimundo praised, peaking out of one emerald eye. Though they were flying much faster than he would have liked, they still hadn't caught up with Charlie. "Do you think he's moving closer to the ground where we can't see him? Maybe his wind power didn't work and he's walking –"

"There is no doubt in my mind that Charlie is using magic to get to Chase's…" Omi told him, his voice wide. "I know you must feel it too – the use of a spell that is of your element."

"Well…" The brunette didn't want to admit that he did, indeed, feel it… It was strong, and that's what made him so nervous. With that much rage converting into power – who knew what could happen… or worse…

Who he could hurt.

"Hopefully we'll be able to swoop in, grab the girl, and go!" Dojo said, optimism evident in his voice. All of them gave him a sideways smile full of doubt. It wasn't going to be that easy.

Kimiko kept coming to Raimundo's mind's eye. He wanted her safe… He hadn't been thrown into the mix of magic and good verse evil all that long ago, and the thought of Kimiko being caught smack dab in the middle really unnerved him. Though he knew she was far more experienced than he – even in her current amnesia-ridden condition – he liked it better when he knew she was sleeping just one room over.

Chewing on the inside of his lip, he wondered if she'd be _okay_ when they found her. He refused to think there was a possibility she could have been killed by Chase to enrage Charlie. If she managed to survive that fiasco, there was always the chance that she would get stuck in the crossfire of the two's magic. It was a dangerous game to play, and he didn't like that they weren't together.

Back in Brazil, though he didn't know the girl very well, he knew the moment she woke up that he would have to help her home… He knew he would go to the end of _anywhere_ just to make sure she was back in the familiarity of _wherever_ she was from. He had just met the girl, and yet, he had the undying need to protect her, and make her feel safe… Meeting Omi and Clay for the first time – he knew only after a few hours he had the connection with them as well… It probably had something to do with the fact that they were all connected by the elements, but Raimundo also acknowledged the fact that they quickly became his friends.

His feelings for Kimiko were strong, there was no doubt about that. Whether it would take them somewhere or not, he would be there for as long as she wanted him to be, knowing that nothing would make him move except for her command… The fact that he wasn't there, helping her along as he had since he'd met her, made him anxious and almost nauseous.

Raimundo knew the girl was tough. He knew that she didn't need protecting, and yet as Dojo made a wide turn in the sky, spiraling ever closer to the ground, he understood that it was just as much for _his_ own good that he be with her, than it was for her.

"We're going to be landing in about five minutes…" Dojo's voice broke into his thoughts like someone tapping on glass.

Raimundo's eyes focused in on the dragon's head in front of them as he turned slightly to glance back at them. "We've been in the air, believe it or not, for about a half hour already… Charlie probably beat us there… Magic flies a lot faster than a giant, ancient dragon protector."

"I feel like we ride in better style there, Dojo!" Clay laughed.

"Oh you," he chuckled, swatting one giant claw as though flattered, "You and your praises, Clay!" He teased back at the blonde cowboy, igniting a grin from the rest of the team.

"Let's go get our female back!" Omi cheered, suddenly excited and bouncing, nobody bothering to ruin his mood by telling him how odd he sounded using the world 'female' instead of a simple 'girl'.

* * *

"_A once in a life time opportunity?" His old, accented voice was weary._

"_Papa! This would be _amazing_! Think of the people I would be helping! Think of the places I would go! Free travel, free food, an education _no one else_ could get –"_

"_Kimiko," he chuckled, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Hush for a moment, child."_

_She clamped her mouth shut, but bounced in her chair._

_Not even an hour ago, a guy in silken robes had showed up at their door, just a cross chest satchel strung across his body. He smiled at them, and introduced himself as Fung Daichi, and asked to come inside and have a cup of tea._

_He had explained the ways of the Xiaolin, and how they train young _Chosen Ones_ every generation to balance the evils of the world. Those who wished to study at the temple would receive education from ancient scholars, training that one couldn't get from simple self defense, and would be helping to protect people all around the world._

_Kimiko's mouth had dropped. Did she believe it? Somehow, she knew it was true, and when she told her father it just _felt_ like this man wasn't lying, he had taken her word for it. Together, they sat down and thought about the possibilities, Fung patiently waiting across the table for them._

_She latched onto her father's arm, hoping only excitement shone through on her face. Her father would never let her pass up this opportunity (not that she wanted to), but she was afraid. Her papa was the only family she had left in the world, and Kimiko knew the feeling was mutual. She would be leaving him for who knew how many years as he got older and lonelier… Maybe she would have to convince him to get a cat before he left._

_Before she stopped herself, the question stumbled out of her mouth. "Would I be able to come home and visit my father?" She found herself asking in a quiet, embarrassed tone._

_Immediately, Fung's expression softened, and her father turned to her, his eyes a little wide, but otherwise immensely flattered._

"_Kimiko…" He murmured, squeezing her shoulders lightly. Her sapphire eyes never left the Chinese man's face._

_He nodded slowly, a smile slowly growing on his lips. "Of course… Though it could not be all the time, we would most definitely encourage trips home to see family. If there is one thing more important than the Xiaolin balance in the world, it is spending time with your loved ones."_

_Her eyes grew as big as her smile as she turned to her father, her pink hair hitting her in her face. That was her color for the day, though she suddenly regretted getting dressed in such funky clothing. She wished she looked more impressive and natural to the man sitting in front of them._

_Toshiro smirked and turned to his daughter. He saw his late wife in her eyes, though they sparkled with his curiosity, strength, and life. How could he say no to something so wonderful?_

"_If you want to go, Kimiko… I will give you all of my support."_

_She squealed and jumped on him then, forgetting that just a moment ago she was wishing she looked more professional to the monk sitting in front of her. She tackled him and nuzzled into his shoulder._

"_Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you thankyouthankyouthankyou!" She giggled and screamed, and her heart was beating faster than she remembered it ever beating._

_Her father let out a bellowing laugh as he wrapped her in a hug. "When do you leave?" She asked the girl, though turned towards the man waiting patiently._

"_If we could have her in a week, that would be plenty of time to start her training with the other pupils."_

"_A week is plenty of time to prepare her as well…" Toshiro nodded and stood, bowing to the man. "Thank you so much for visiting… Never hesitate to visit again!" He told the man, turning back to his daughter. They didn't have too much time left, and he wanted to make sure he spent as much time with Kimiko as he could before she descended on a journey of a life time._

* * *

Chase stared at the girl, tilting his head and watching her eyes flicker under her pale lids. The impatient itch of waiting flickered his hands, and he flexed his fingers to keep in control. Her friends would be there soon – there was no reason to get angry.

Just then, there was a sudden booming sound – echoing off of the rooftops somewhere not too far off. He was standing in a moment. Though his heart thumped in his chest, a smile played out on his lips.

He glanced at the girl again, watching as her form didn't move from the chair. Whether it be Charlie or Raimundo banging on his door for entrance, Kimiko was in the _perfect_ position to cause a commotion.

Quite carefully, as though worried he would wake her, he lifted the girl and sprawled her out on the floor, standing up just as a hole was blown through the wall.

He stepped back, retaining his composure. He wasn't even worried. This fight was just what he wanted. His jungle cats paced uneasily outside the large archway of a door, leading down the halls he had walked not too long ago. He would call them in to fight when it was ready – but there was no need to put them in danger right now.

Echoing footsteps added dramatics to the current situation, and he stayed kneeling by the unconscious girl for a few moments, liquid gold eyes straining to see who was stepping up to him.

With brown hair, and piercing, hazel eyes, in stepped Charlie – just the boy he was waiting to see. His fists were clenched together, and his brows were knitted close with bottled rage.

His steps were meaningful and a little _too_ composed. Honestly, the boy looked like he was on the edge of hysterics.

"Chase Young!" Charlie called out, his name ringing around the walls. His eyes hardly had to flicker to Kimiko before the threat was called out. "_You're going to die!_" A charge and a battle cry later, Chase found himself rising to the challenge.

Let the fight begin…

* * *

**A/N: Well there it is! I know it wasn't as quick of an update, and I didn't do any editing, and really most of this stuff was just pulled out of thin air once again (even though I knew kind of what was going to happen that chapter). I apologize if it sounded a little like rambling, but once I started writing it, I just really couldn't stop (save for a few days of writer's block at the beginning)**

**Please let me know how you liked that chapter! We're getting into a little more excitement with the next chapter! I want to make it good, so sorry if it's a little longer before an update!**

**-zesty-**


	16. Chapter 15: Width

**When The Wind Blows**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Xiaolin Showdown or any of its characters.**

**Chapter 15: Width**

"I feel like that ominous black smoke is going to be a problem…"

The three remaining Xiaolin monks glanced in the direction of Dojo's clawed hand. All of them winced when said smoke burst into flames.

"You might be right, Dojo," Clay nodded, his tone solemn.

"Well it's safe to say Charlie beat us there," Raimundo scratched the back of his neck as Dojo made his final descent onto the doorstep of Chase's lair. "I hope everything's okay in there…"

"This is most troublesome," Omi nodded vigorously, "We must hurry!" The three of them didn't even bother trying to be sneaky.

They had a pretty good idea that Chase knew they were coming. The dragon lord wasn't _dumb_ by any means, and they knew that from the way he'd played Charlie against them, he would be expecting _every_ party that had something to do with this, would definitely make an appearance. Another blast shook the tunnel they were in, and Raimundo struggled to stay on his feet.

"I'm almost scared for Chase in this situation," Dojo commented, shrugging when he earned baffled glares from Clay and Omi. "Charlie is a scary dude when he's mad," he jerked a thumb at Raimundo, "I mean, look what he did to him."

"I feel as though Charlie may not be all lost –" Omi was interrupted by the echoing roar of jungle cats entering the dangerous fray.

"I just think you see too much good in people, Omi." Raimundo shot back at him as they raced forward.

They had a few hallways to get through, but if they listened for the sounds of battle, it wasn't very difficult to find the others. Only at the last stretch did they slow down, deciding that sneaking in and surprising their enemy might be a better approach.

"We should locate Kimiko first," Clay said, blue eyes scanning over the room. Right now, he was hearing a _lot_ of yelling from Charlie, seeing too much dust, and feeling a little too nervous about this whole thing.

"There's no way we'll be able to find her in such a big room with all the dust Charlie's making," the brunette shook his head. "Time to put these new powers to the test!" He stepped out into the middle of the hallway, ignoring the light protests from his teammates.

He stood tall, although he had no idea what he would have to face in the next however many minutes, Kimiko was the only thing on his mind, and it was her safety that propelled him forward. Finally, with one foot sliding to the side, and arms extending in front of him, he slunk into a battle stance.

Sucking in a deep breath, he felt the energy flow through him, rustling his hair and folding his clothing. With one giant step forward, his hands clapping together like thunder, he shouted, "_Wind_!"

A force stronger than _any_ had felt from Charlie before tore into the room. The slices of wind were almost visible, and chopped away the dust quicker than anyone realized what was going on. The Brazilian was frozen, no longer seeking cover as he stared dumbly at his first large accomplishment.

"That actually –" he began to cheer, before Clay snatched him, clamping his hand over his mouth to shut him up, moving him back into the shadows.

It seemed, with no claim to who exactly just dusted the room of debris, it went largely unnoticed. Chase was now glancing over his shoulder, making sure nobody was sneaking up on him, but after a few moments, Charlie had forgotten about the blast completely, too consumed by his own anger to care who else was there.

"What did you do to her?!" He demanded with a howl. "I swear to God Chase –"

"What?" He snapped, standing tall again. The British boy was an awful lot of bark and no bite today. Only a few attacks were sloppily thrown in his direction, and even a stationary _Kimiko_ was in no danger of being hit. "What will you do? You have no back up, and you know you cannot take me on yourself. You denied practices of a _mage_, and if the Xiaolin Monks _do_ show up, they are here because of her –" his hand jerked towards Kimiko, still unconscious on the floor, "- _not_ because of you!"

"I don't care!" He screamed, conjuring up another attack. This one hit dangerously close to the girl, splitting the lounging chair she had been laying on in half.

"Don't get sloppy," Chase persisted, always taunting, "You might hurt her."

"You've already hurt her enough, you son of a bitch!" He charged forward, diving in for hand to hand combat.

He aimed a hard kick to Chase's chest, but the man neatly sidestepped it, as though it were no trouble at all. Charlie whipped around, landing gracefully on the ground before crouching and lunging again. This time, the dragon lord clasped his ankle and spun him around, throwing him into the bookshelf. It groaned in protest as books dropped to the ground and parchment scattered the air.

"You've ruined my life!" He screeched, coming at Chase again. This time, he tried a front hand spring, kicking from a different angle. Chase was too quick, but this seemed to be going in the right direction, because he had more trouble dodging that one.

Surprisingly, the brunette caught on his final spring and flipped himself right side up, landing a weak punch to the man's gut. He wasn't expecting it, but it still didn't stun him. Locking his fingers like a flesh blade, he stabbed at the boy, getting a few attacks in on his pressure points.

Charlie spluttered, falling to his knees. "Why did you do this to me?! Why couldn't you have picked someone else's life to ruin?!"

"You were always meant to be evil, Charlie! You realized it too, once you brutally attacked the Dragon of Wind!"

Charlie's eyes flashed red as he forced himself back to his feet. "He replaced me!" Running forward, he took a punch to Chase, but was knocked back by a magic push. He slid on the glinting floors before his back pressed up against the wall he'd blown through in the beginning.

"A true monk would look past that! Fung gave you a chance to continue growing! You could have been a _great_ asset to the team, but that is not what you were meant to do!"

"I left so that I didn't have to deal with you!" He yelled, rage taking over and propelling him forward again.

"But that was not your destiny, Charlie!" The man hissed before letting out a hearty, sincere laugh. "Your bravery is humorous!"

"Stop _laughing_ at me!" His hair began to blow wildly around his face, and a power seemed to emit from him.

"Yes!" Chase coaxed, laughing all the while. "Let it grow within you! Let it breathe your air! Let the Heylin in you feed like the parasite it is!" Before his words were even done, Charlie shot a blast of white light at him. It was not wind, nor any other element, as the electrical-looking like crackled towards the Dragon Lord.

* * *

"We have to stop this," Clay shook his head. "I don' care if Charlie ain't with us no more, we have to do something, or Kim's gon' get caught in the crossfire!"

"Omi, do you have a plan?" Raimundo asked, desperation in his voice.

The smallest monk looked on with great concern, his hand over his mouth. He had never seen this sort of power before, and honestly, the thought of crossing it froze him in place as he wracked for some sort of an idea. The goal here was Kimiko, not to fight – Chase or Charlie. Maybe though… there was a way to still save him.

"If we leave Charlie here, he will most likely join Chase… Our actions will only solidify what Chase has been telling him."

"But if we help him, we might lose Kim…" Raimundo reminded them, one hand up, as though about to point, but never quite getting there.

"This is a most terrifying decision."

"Isn't there any way to – you know – do both?" Dojo suggested.

"We could try, but I do wonder if we would end up getting ourselves killed."

"Better us than Kim," Raimundo decided, cracking his knuckles and rolling his head to the side.

"And better us than all that power joining Chase," Clay added, adjusting his hat. "That's all Chase wants!"

"Are you ready to die, Raimundo?" Omi asked, challenging just how brave this newcomer would be.

The brunette shook his head, "I'm ready to defend what needs protection."

The youngest monk gave a wise, all-knowing smile. "You are ready…" he mumbled, though he knew no one else heard it. Dojo hid underneath Clay's hat, trembling as he did so.

"Good luck! If we need a quick get-a-way, just call me!" And then not another peep was heard from Dojo.

"Let's go!" Omi commanded, and with a battle cry of their own, jumped into the fray as well, hoping that they wouldn't regret the decision they just made.

* * *

"_Who _is_ that cute boy you get the joy of living with _every day_, Kimiko?" She glanced over at her best friend, watching as Keiko's eyes followed the brunette._

"_Ugh, him?" She rolled her eyes, "He's kind of over dramatic."_

"_But a total piece of eye candy," she giggled, "how do you even concentrate with him around?"_

"_Easy," the girl grumbled, a little begrudgingly._

"_Is there something you aren't telling me?"_

"_I would say go for it, but I don't think I even want to hook you guys up." She sighed, collapsing in the cool grass. The wind swept around them peacefully, and the trees shimmered in the breeze. The sun's rays twinkled over them, blinking through the gaps on the tree branches, as they watched monks attend to the blossoming garden._

"_Wow! That's harsh Kimiko! I mean, I always knew you thought you could get guys better than me but –"_

"_That's not it!" She hastily told her friend. She gestured to the boy who was just disappearing behind a set of doors. "Charlie is… he's weird…"_

"_Explain!" Keiko demanded, flicking her blonde-dyed hair over her shoulder._

"_Well…" She shrugged, "He's really protective."_

"_Jealous? That's adorable –"_

"_No… I mean like _protective._ He hardly lets me out of his sight whenever we're away from the temple, and he's always jumping in front of attacks and getting hurt, when I could have easily dodged."_

"_Another boy who overlooks your bad assness? What a mistake!" Keiko scoffed before leaning back on her hands, feeling the velvet blades of grass tickle her porcelain skin. "Is he really that weird?"_

"_He won't leave me alone either… I've tried to set him up with a billion others, and he'll go on a date, do something to make them angry, and they bitch to me about it… About how he always talks about other girls, or will say _'oh that just reminds me of something another girl does',_ and he's always bothering me to go out with him."_

"_But… he's still _hot_… a free dinner wouldn't hurt anything, right?"_

"_Wrong," Kimiko sighed. "I wish that was the case… But team chemistry is an absolute must, so if I let him take me out on a date, and then decided I didn't like him, it would probably piss him off. The littlest things set him off. I want to be with someone carefree and fun loving! Not someone who's gonna try and control my life!"_

_Keiko nodded, "I can understand that I guess… But where are you going to find him?"_

_She shrugged, a little sheepish. "I'll find him. I bet he's far away right now… But he's out there, I can feel it."_

_Her friend suddenly burst out laughing. "I'm all for cheesy romances, but _that_ was oozing over the cheese-scale!"_

"_Was not!" Kimiko argued, hitting her friend on the shoulder._

_They started to bicker and laugh, pushing each other in the grass, the harshness of their earlier conversation vanishing from sight, and mind._

* * *

"What are you doing here?!" Charlie demanded as Omi ran into the fray.

"We have come to assist!" The short monk told him. As though on queue, more jungle cats joined the fight, and they were all pitted against one as Chase hung back, his eyes glinting evilly and his lips quirked up into a smile.

"Why do you keep interfering?!" Charlie demanded as soon as he spotted Raimundo. "I don't want your help! Stay the fuck away from me!"

"Why are you bein' like that, par'ner?!" Clay demanded, stomping down on the ground, making it shake, before a rift was created, and the earth itself catapulted a few cats backwards. They whimpered as they flew, landing in the water on the other side of the room.

"Focus on Kimiko!" Omi decided, "We must get to Chase!"

"This is _my_ fight! Stay out of it!" Charlie insisted, leaping over the cats to Chase.

They blocked each other's blows for a moment, but an unsettling feeling began to bubble in the brunette's gut. Chase looked positively _bored_. That worried him. The British boy was putting in almost everything he had to even land a punch, and the dragon lord looked like he was doing nothing more than turning the page in a book.

"I thought you'd be a little more of a challenge," Chase sighed, shoving him backwards. Charlie stumbled over his own feet and fell to the ground. "Maybe I _should_ have gone after Raimundo –"

"_No_!" Charlie howled, "Why is everyone always picking him over me?!" He demanded like a child throwing a tantrum.

"Well…" Chase was thoughtful for a moment, "He's just _better_ than you!"

Another bright light of magic suddenly appeared, and the brunette was screaming, squeezing his eyes shut and shooting the energy everywhere.

"Duck!" Raimundo told everyone, suddenly pouncing on Omi, Clay, and a few poorly placed jungle cats, pinning them to the ground to avoid the blast.

These cats stared at the brunette with the utmost astonishment, and after they were allowed back up, exited the fight, knowing that Chase wouldn't ask anymore of them. Even the latter had to work to dodge the last attack. He scraped the floor next to Kimiko, and watched, waiting for any signs of life. This would get all the more interesting when she woke up.

"Face it, Charlie… If you don't want to be compared with Raimundo, you will have to fulfill your destiny, and become Heylin!"

"I won't! I love her! I love Kimiko!"

Saying it out loud gave the atmosphere a sudden hushing effect. The cats stopped growling, the wind stopped whipping so fiercely in their ears, and the groaning walls stopped creaking. Everyone stared at him as he heaved his chest up and down rapidly.

"I would do_ anything_ for her! And if it means killing you –" he pointed at Chase, his eyes blood-thirsty, "- or even taking down _you_!" He wheeled around, aiming at Raimundo, "I will stop at _nothing_ to have her!"

"Yes… let hatred fuel your rage… It is the way of the Heylin."

"_Stop saying that_!" More bright lights appeared, and now they were darting all around the room, bouncing off of things in a deadly assault path. It was no longer a fight between kung-fu masters – it was a game of dodgeball, Charlie's powerful lightning spheres the balls. If you get hit, you die.

"This is too dangerous for Kimiko!" Raimundo yelled over the screeching that had begun.

Charlie was still letting them off, screaming, confused, and trapped in his own mind from his anger.

"I don't know if there _is_ any saving Charlie anymore!" Clay glanced at Omi, "What do we do?"

Omi's small eyes glittered with unshed tears. He was about to let go of a teammate… A best friend – one of his first in this world. He was only hoping…

The one he left behind would someday forgive him…

* * *

**A/N: Ahhh! Yay! Another chapter! That was pretty fun to write! I'm sorry it was a little longer for an update, but I pumped this one out in like… a half hour! So I hope you're happy!**

**Leave me some love, like you all have been SO good at doing! Thank you to everyone still reading this! Love you all!**

**-zesty-**


End file.
